Band:	Charon
Album:	Downhearted
Style:	Suomi metal
Release date:	2002
A review by:	Ivan

01. Bitter Joy
02. At The End Of Our Day
03. Craving
04. Little Angel
05. Fall
06. Erase Me
07. Desire You
08. Come Tonight
09. All I Care Is Dying
10. Sister Misery
11. Sorrowsong

While on the second album, Tearstained, Sentenced's influence was obvious, what we have here can be classified somewhere halfway between Sentenced and HIM. But make no mistake - it's not your fucking "love metal"! On Downhearted heavy riffs are not sacrificed for the sake of more melodic sound. Still sounding heavy and aggressive, this album still somehow manages to capture this melancholic atmosphere finnish bands are known for... Incredible and catchy vocal lines, perfect arrangements, songs filled with deep emotions - dark and bitter sweet, but in no way cheesy; beautiful female back vocals on almost every track - just about everything you can expect from a gothic metal album, you'll find here.

Take any song from here - and you've got an instant hit (well, at least in Finland)! Damn, this thing is catchy as hell - it's been rotating in my head since the 2 listen (and I don't mind it at all!). A great alternative to this awfully annoying "...and then I got high" which was holding this place before This album is better than both Sentenced and HIM, it's better than any other gothic album I've heard and it definitely will be one of the best albums of the year 2002. 10 great songs with not even a minor flaw + one absolutely amazing teardropping ballad closing the CD and leaving you longing for more - yep, 43 minutes are clearly not enough... OK, I guess I'll have have to play it again - for the 5th time in a row...

Ladies and gentlemen: The Perfect Gothic Album!