Mortal Love
Forever Will Be Gone

The trilogy inaugurated by Mortal Love in 2002 with "All the Beauty," continued with "I Have Lost" (2004), comes to an end in 2006 with the release of "Forever Will Be Gone" (the union of the three titles gives the name to the story). What does the Norwegian band propose? A dark-hued rock/metal of good quality, melodic and captivating without any fall into banality or plagiarism, rich in personal insights that make the album stand out from the sea of releases that, with pretenses of success, invade the music market. The humility demonstrated by the band is evident in various aspects. Aware that originality is a rare commodity in an over-saturated genre such as this, they avoid settling into clichés that have brought success to one band rather than another. In the same set of songs, we can find elements of the sound of Beseech and something from the latest Theatre Of Tragedy. However, it is difficult to give more precise stylistic coordinates, as Mortal Love's music is a puzzle so well blended that it is pleasant and quite personal. A proposal that, even vocally, is not at all grandiloquent. Cat's voice, the real mistress of the house, guides us to rather calm shores, where melancholy dominates, while the male voice, when not engaged in counterpoint, accompanies the more aggressive moments, during which the guitars also seem to let loose, reaching territories dear to gothic/doom metal.

"I Make the Mistake" is soft and supported by guitar arpeggios and the delicacy of Cat's voice. "While Everything Dies" is instead a personal tribute to Rammstein, which also sees the use of the German language. Electronic digressions also make an appearance when listening to "My Shadow Self", full of captivating melodies. This song demonstrates that the band is practically ready for the big leap. If only a label like Century Media got their hands on them, Lacuna Coil would have a worthy and formidable rival. In the fifth track, "In the End Decides", a short but intense episode, Linkin Park is instead honored. "To Choke You Now" is unusual, and remains nervous and always on the edge between unease, pain, and sadness. There's more electronics supporting "So I Betray the Mission", a track clearly inspired by the pop/electronic period Theatre Of Tragedy, but not lacking in warmth like those of the fellow band. There's also room for the piano, which in "As We Cannot Be" lets itself go into a desperate cry. The title track concludes the performance, an aggressive episode that makes a perfect and intense synthesis of the elements of the Mortal Love sound, to which growl also adds.

There is a gloomy aura that permeates every single song, and it's as if during the listening experience, a mist veiling a soft light with a dark blue hue envelops the room, transporting the listener into a dreamlike dimension or, to be more precise, into a nightmare where death hovers through a suffocating and contaminated air. The songs of "Forever Will Be Gone" are episodes that would have little value if taken individually, but gain strength in a similar context, tangible in its emotional sincerity (the concept of the entire trilogy is based on a real tragic love story). Certainly, we are not in the presence of a masterpiece (the most evident flaws of the album are the absence of memorable episodes and an excessively short duration). However, it may be the sincerity and humility of their proposal that will perhaps bring the band great satisfaction in the future.