Band:	Zeraphine
Album:	Still
Style:	Darkwave, Gothic rock
Release date:	2006

01. Still
02. Niemand Kann Es Sehen
03. Inside Your Arms
04. Gib Mir Dein Gift
05. Nichts Aus Liebe
06. Toxic Skies
07. Fang Mich
08. Halbes Ende
09. Since We're Falling
10. I'll Follow You
11. State Of The Moment
12. Nur Ein Tag

After the Dreadful Shadows disbanded Sven Friedrich and Norman Selbig gave birth to the band named Zeraphine with which they managed to unfold their modern gothic rock/metal melodies to the world of music in the most appropriate way. We reach 2006 and Zeraphine after their previous successful attempt, "Blind Camera" (2005), return with their fourth work, "Still", proving that they are "still" here, remaining strong, intense and emotional.

With "Blind Camera" Zeraphine matured their sound, a sound that was on a, let's say, primary phase on "Kalte Sonne" and became really strong on "Trauma World". Well, with "Still" they offer another piece of mature art, an album that flows in the same soundscapes as "Blind Camera" with the band keeping the distinctive sound they own. The compositions have the quality standards the band had since their beginning and along with the crystal-clear and really good production that makes the heavier moments sound more intense and the emotional passages more fragile "Still" automatically becomes one of the strongest gothic rock/metal offerings for 2006.

The band since the beginning had the same line-up, something that in my opinion helped them to reach this fabulous point in their career since the chemistry of the ones consisting of the line-up was growing stronger with the passing of the years. Everyone in the band pours his soul trying to offer their best and they succeed in it. The guitar work is high quality, moving in heavier gothic rock soundscapes, without forgetting at all to sound softer and touching when the emotional charge becomes more fragile, whereas the rhythm section sounds unerring, keeping the tempo in the most appropriate way and sounding more powerful when it has to, making the compositions more groovy and intense. The keyboards often flirt with a more electronic sound, but that's a necessary evil in the scene in the period we're running, not something bad of course. Zeraphine handle the electro-driven keyboard work really well and make their more modern approach more vivid. Apart from the electro approach of the keyboards a more "traditional" use of them is the one of creating a fragile atmosphere and, of course, the use of the piano adorns in a beautiful and emotional way the soundscapes. Sven Friedrich will always be one of the most experienced and expressive vocalists of the scene. This time he managed to bring back some more screaming vocals in the vein of Dreadful Shadows, not so harsh as, let's say, "Chains", something like the ones on the last chorus of "Twist In My Sobriety", awesome! Well, not only he owns a gifted and characteristic, blooming with personality, voice, pouring his soul to the compositions in the most beautiful and emotional way, he is a poet as well, offering some of the most beauteous lyrics, balancing still between the English and German language, ever read in the whole scene.

"Still" befriends more the emotional and fragile side of expression, it has its more upbeat moments like the wonderful opener "Still", "Toxic Skies" (from hollow the skies became toxic, hehe!), "Since We're Falling" etc, but the compositions in their overall feeling are a bit softer, but even though they sound more fragile they never forget to have their more powerful and intense moments escalating the emotional charge of the compositions. Some songs that belong to the second category have to be "Niemand Kann Es Sehen", the intense but emotional "Inside Your Arms" and the doleful "Gid Mir Dein Gift", the melancholic ballad "Halbes Ende", the heart-rending ending composition "Nur Ein Tag" etc.

"Still" has to be one of the best gothic rock/metal compositions of 2006, if you want something beautiful and intense and above all gothic-oriented then you should do a favor to yourself and try out Zeraphine.