Band:	Amber Tears
Album:	Key To December
Style:	Doom metal, Folk metal
Release date:	December 2010

01. Голос пустой Зимы (Voice of Hollow Winter)
02. Бесконечность серых дней (Gray Days Eternity)
03. От Солнца прочь (Away from the Sun)
04. За край Небес (Beyond the Edge of Skies)
05. Когда растает снег (When Snow Will Melt Away)
06. Тихим ручьем (Like a Silent Stream)
07. Печаль серых холмов (Gray Hill's Sadness)
08. Сквозь снега (Through the Snows)

Hailing from Russia, Amber Tears have dubbed their style of music "Pagan Doom." Not entirely sure what is so Pagan about it, but hey, I'm all for "People Against Goodness And Normalcy." They make the news more exciting.

So initially I was perhaps partially put-off... the combo of band name, cover art, and the Keys To December album title made me a bit skeptical before I spun (ran?) my copy. No need to worry on my part... after an atmospheric start featuring a wind-swept field with bird calls gave way and crushing doom ensues, it was an enjoyable 40 minute journey.

Amber Tears play a slow, powerful death-doom with a nice mix of spoken and harshly throated vocals, with the lyrics being in Russian. They also incorporate other various elements - acoustic interludes, backing keyboards, backing female oohs-n-ahs vocals to further enhance the melancholy.

The whole thing just comes together really well. The production values are fantastic... the vocals, when roared, are loud. The spoken bits carry over the music. The guitars and drums sound powerful, the bass is audible without having to strain an ear to hear. The songs are well crafted, with occasional changes and interludes to combat monotony.

The guitarist also has some chops, which he exhibits from time-to-time, but is clever enough to show restraint. Instead of saying, "look at me, aren't I awesome!?" he plays to the music, capturing and furthering the emotion within his leads. Also, I'm not sure what kind of effects pedals he employs, but I found it pretty cool how some of the lead melodies had a tone that almost captured the sound of bagpipes. Sounds like I'm crazy, but go ahead, listen to the leads in "Ot Solnca Proch'" now that I've planted that little seed in your golova... you'll hear it too.

Amber Tears have managed to make some great, powerful, evocative music definitely worth checking out whether you are a card-carrying member of "Marcel's Kool Kids Doom Klvb" or even just have a passing interest in the genre.