Band:	Still It Cries
Album:	A Dedication
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	2003
A review by:	Undercraft

01. 'Til Death Do Us Apart
02. Godforsaken Life
03. I Conquer Your World
04. Lonesome Grave
05. The Tomb Of The Unknown (Soldier)
06. No Farewell
07. A Dedication
08. Mankind's Lament
09. As You Drown In Tears
10. Twisted Thoughts

This is something, an album released last year that went almost unnoticed among Metalheads worldwide, well, that's nothing new, thousands of new releases pass overlooked by millions of possible fans, and that's because the lack of promotion some labels offer, and that's because the short budgets some new bands have.

Well, Still It Cries, is not a new band, although this is their second release they're around since 1995, but they have the name Still It Cries since 1997.
Anyway, what I have here is a real surprise since I wasn't expecting such a promising band behind the excellent cover art that graces the sophomore effort of these Germans.

Still It Cries could be defined as a Melodic Death-Gothic Metal, yep, that's it, we have some growls, fast paced tunes and some great gloomy clear vocals with more down tempo tracks, the result is the clash of two forces, the aggression of one side with the somber lucidity of the other.

The album starts somewhat aggressive, with "Till Death Do Us Part" the show us a Death Thrashy side, with a great wall of growling & shrieking vocals, somewhere in the song, a clam break marks the entrance of the clean vocals, the mood lowers to a sorrowful atmosphere, but the clean vocals can be aggressive, without loosing that sorrowful edge, just great.

"Godforsaken Life" shows us the catchy side of the band, at moments your typical Gothenburg Melodeath song, but in some others is a sorrow piece that I could compare with Anathema to name one.
Next is "I Conquer Your World" song that reminds me a lot to another band, which I bet many of you have heard, Tool, the almost progressive atmosphere of the song reminds me of some Tool songs, maybe it's me, maybe not, you be the judge.

Some other killer moments in the album are "The Tomb Of The Unknown (Soldier)" and the excellent acoustical break it the middle, and the slow almost Doomy pieces "As You Drown In Tears" and "No Farewell".

Enough said, Melodic Death Metal + Gothic Metal + some Doom Metal = a great combination called Still It Cries, a band that will give something the people to talk about, when they release their next album with the proper promotional support, as for me, I can't wait the next step these guys are going to make, I'll be waiting for their third and definitive album.