Band:	Zeraphine
Album:	Trauma World
Style:	Darkwave, Gothic rock
Release date:	2003
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Light Your Stars
02. No More Doubts
03. United And Lost
04. Failing Breath
05. No Tears
06. In Your Room [Depeche Mode cover]
07. Schreit Dein Herz
08. Be My Rain
09. For A Moment
10. Stop Pretending
11. Wonderland
12. Trauma World
13. Wenn Du Gehst

After the Dreadful Shadows decided to break up, I thought that I would never be able to hear again Sven Friedrich's exceptional and emotional voice. I was counting on the writing on the last page of "The Cycle": "To be continued?", but soon i convinced myself that the Shadows had broken up forever The years passed by and one day I heard about Zeraphine, the band that Sven Friedrich, former singer of the Shadows, and Norman Selbig, guitarist of the Shadows on "Beyond the Maze" and "The cycle" albums had formed. At this moment I felt so happy knowing that I would hear this beloved to me voice on new compositions.

"Trauma World" is their second album and contains lyrics mainly in English, but also in German (their debut album's ["Kalte Sonne"] lyrics were written in German). In my opinion Zeraphine are the continuation of Dreadful Shadows. If the Shadows hadn't broken up this is how they'd sound, in my opinion, after the great "The Cycle"). If you really loved Dreadful Shadows, don't underestimate Zeraphine, you'll love them too, just give them a chance.

The album opens with "Light your Stars on", a wonderful composition filled with inspired piano/keyboard pieces and guitars riffs (both soft and heavier) evoking a unique atmosphere in which Sven's bass and full of emotions voice comes to paint the picture with colors of sadness and melancholy. "No More Doubts" follows moving in a gothic rock soundscapes with beautiful-sounding ideas and lyrics showing how it feels to be hollow inside. The album continues with "United and Lost", a melancholic composition with Sven interpreting in a descriptive way lyrics that talk about a broken relation bringing forth memories when everything was still beautiful. The album flows emotionally with "Failing Breath". The music dresses this composition wonderfully pacing with the lyrical concept talking about the end of an affair with joyful memories and lovely feelings remaining and tormenting still the one still loving.

"No Tears", one of my favorite compositions of this album follows, a song filled with overtones of sadness and Sven does his best to achieve this peak of melancholy with his descriptive interpretation and his poetic depressive lyrics! "In Your Room" continues the album, a successful cover on a Depeche Mode's renowned song from the album "Songs of Faith and Devotion". Zeraphine give their own heavier version on this great song and I think they do it really good paying tribute to this special band. A lovely piano piece echos opening "Schreit Dein Herz" that follows, a composition pacing with the melancholic feeling of the album. "Be My Rain" is the next composition of "Trauma World", a really wonderful song emotionally charged. The lyrics are really beautiful talking of a couple and the love and the promises they shared when they were together. But now she has gone away and he wishes that she could be his rain "to wash the pain and the truth again".

"For a Moment", a really touching and melancholic song, continues the album and its fragile sound caresses my heart. Sven's emotional voice and melancholy, the violin's painful sound and then the guitar chords create a gloomy atmosphere where all hope dies. "Stop Pretending" follows continuing the album in up-tempo melodies while "you fall and your heart has let go all its secrets" to reach "Wonderland" the keyboards and the guitars opening the song in an "aggressive" way and so it continues with up-tempo guitars and electro sounds. Sven is singing ecstatically, while a little distortion in his voice, which paces with the electro effects that can be through the whole duration of the song, reveals another fold of his interpreting abilities. "Trauma World" that follows is an utterly elegiac synthesis. A soft and melancholic song in which Sven's voice is so tranquil and beautifully painful. All the instruments participate into creating this serene but at the same time depressive atmosphere. Sven renders his lyrics of inwardness and depression and his descriptive voice evokes grey pictures. "Wenn Du Gehst" ends the journey into the "Trauma World" with Sven's painful interpretation and the violin's bleak melodies painting the already emotionally charged soundscape with dreary colors.

If you want to lose yourself into a "trauma world" filled with melancholic emotions then this is an album for you!