Lake Of Tears - Illwill - review
Lake Of Tears - Illwill - review
Tracklist
01. Floating In Darkness02. Illwill
03. The Hating
04. U.N.S.A.N.E.
05. House Of The Setting Sun
06. Behind The Green Door
07. Parasites
08. Out Of Control
09. Taste Of Hell
10. Midnight Madness
11. As Daylight Yields [live] [Limited Digipak bonus]
12. Demon You / Lily Anne [live] [Limited Digipak bonus]
13. Crazyman [live] [Limited Digipak bonus]
A review by
KwonVerge May 02, 2011
Lake Of Tears didn't want to repeat their very own Clouds/Wildhoney (Tiamat) named Greater Art. They didn't need to go back to the Headstones era. A Crimson Cosmos was just fine the way it was. Forever Autumn's fragile aura could not be surpassed. Repeating The Neonai's psychedelic air would be too much and coming back with another safe-sounding, but still very good, gothic metal work such as Black Brick Road or Moons and Mushrooms would tire. What they're trying to accomplish with Illwill is forge their very own Vision Thing (Sisters Of Mercy); and why is that? Cause the album rocks the hard way and the band doesn't forget to print their personal sound signature to the compositions, despite the many influences or references that appear here and there. It still relates to gothic metal, but through a rocking attitude with quite enough solos.
It's been done before and some Endorama references (Kreator) couldn't be missing, especially when the sound comes to a "violent" climax. The album opens with "Floating In Darkness" and grabs the listener from the face with its upbeat character and groovy air, leaving you wondering of what to expect. Well, expect the unexpected! The signal was given in the most appropriate way and nothing's going to be the same again. This time misery's not chasing you, it is you who's after her! The title track sounds like a mix of Endorama and a more serious aspect of Peter Tagtgren's Pain without the electronics; and then a Slayer-esque riff comes into play, what the hell? "The Hating" is what the title says, but where is Tom Araya?! And what the hell are W.A.S.P. doing in here? Are the dots a coincidence or "U.N.S.A.N.E." was a gift from Blackie Lawless? Of course something familiar couldn't be missing and "House Of The Setting Sun" is a trademark Lake Of Tears song coming your way oh dear nostalgic, mid-era fan. But then again, what do Billy Idol and Tiamat have to share with Lake Of Tears while they are winking at Sisters Of Mercy? The verse "lipstick on my cigarette" says it all and so does "Behind The Green Door". And what's the outcome if Iron Maiden and Motörhead were to sleep together? "Parasites"! The band is definitely "Out Of Control", a "Taste Of Hell" is unavoidable while you're rolling down the stairs, but wait, "Midnight Madness" leads the album to an end none would ever guess, not even Lake Of Tears themselves. A black metal assault with their most aggressive vocals to date in their most extreme composition so far closes the curtain of a surreal release.
So what does Illwill stand for? Is it a demented genius' work or a release to please Lake Of Tears themselves? Yearning for a drastic change without setting aside your personality or just whatever? A bit of everything but whatever I'd say, Illwill is a solid and decent work for what it is, for sure it will sound obscure to many ears, but give it a chance and a few spins, it's a love it or hate it work somehow and who knows, only time shall tell and I'm not "Dr. Feelgood".
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Comments
Comments:
12
Visited by
318 users
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Posts: 266  |
Posts: 266
At first I didnt like it too much, but at the second listening, I enjoyed it a lot, and now it's one of my favourites of this 2011 till now.
---- http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
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Posts: 4774
You got me convinced to check them out
---- loves 小巫
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 Posts: 386 |
Posts: 386
Ok.... this really shocked me... Haven't heard these guys in ages, as they kinda just went off the chart after Moons and Mushrooms. Anyway, great review, must start listen to these guys again!
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 Posts: 6941 |
Posts: 6941
Thanks for writing this. I enjoy this band but now I'm REALLY excited for this album. Just ordering it 
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| Luneth
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 Posts: 889 |
Posts: 889
This review makes me want to check this one out as soon as possible. 
---- "And we are not who we think we are We are who we're afraid to be" - Lux Occulta "The Opening of Eleventh Sephirah"
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| stationarytravel
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Posts: 9  |
Posts: 9
My favorite LOT album is Greater Art, so every time the band is about to release a new album I hope for a return to the heavy darkness, sorrow and pain of the first album. But it's O.K, because the new album is pretty good. 
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| Enoch
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| JohnDoe
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