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Band: Lacrimosa
Album title: Leidenschaft
Release date: 24 December 2021
Label: Hall Of Sermon
Genre: Gothic Metal, Orchestral/Symphonic Metal, Dark Rock
Tracklist:
01. Liebe über Leben
02. Führ mich nochmal in den Sturm
03. Kulturasche
04. The Daughter Of Coldness
05. Raubtier
06. Die Antwort ist Schweigen
07. Celebrate The Darkness
08. Augenschein
09. Die Liebenden
10. Exodus
When Lacrimosa released the first album, Angst, exactly 30 years ago, the world of dark and gothic music was never again the same. Even if Lacrimosa at that time, with its minimalistic synth/piano-driven darkwave tracks, was considered by many as something too weird, provocative and almost perverse, fans of deep dark music found a new band to worship. Lacrimosa 30 years after is stylistically not the same band anymore, but one thing remains, it's rooted in every single Lacrimosa album, a special sense of bringing emotions into musical art. Leidenschaft is the album number 14 for the duo from Switzerland. Like every album that is made by genius composer Tilo Wolff, also Leidenschaft transcends the borders of music into pure art. Leidenschaft, in English "passion", is exactly that, another cult and monumental perfective work full of passion and drama, when you can feel every single tone and word under your skin.
Lacrimosa takes with each album, with each song, and with each live show, the listener into another space and time, it's a world where passion meets perfection, pain meets salvation, black meets white, and darkness meets the guiding light of love. Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi, the two that form the core of Lacrimosa, found the stylistic expression in gothic rock/metal, symphonic metal, classical and theatrical music. The ten songs on Leidenschaft are exactly that, and while it offers a wide array of fresh touches, it goes hand in hand with the Lacrimosa's past. Yet it's far from recycling the old ideas but smoothly incorporating them into the brand new expression. Like said, Lacrimosa is not only music, is a lively and alive act that seems boundless. Leidenschaft is more orchestral than symphonic, therefore from this regard, it might get close to Echoes, it's more emotional than direct like it was for example Sehnsucht, it's dynamic and suspenseful, while warmth and coldness walk together in the seamless stream of passionate darkness.
Deeply personal, immersive yet melancholic, Leidenschaft is an album of dualities. The feeling that is most present is the one of nostalgia. It's for the best perceptible in one of the highlights of the album, "Führ mich nochmal in den Sturm". But this album has some hard-hitting rock/metal moments as well. "Kulturasche" and the evocative "Augenschein", for example. Deeply sensitive ones like is the piano-driven ballad "Die Antwort ist Schweigen" are there to bring tears into the eyes of listeners. Like always, Tilo Wolff with his recognizable accent, embraces the listener with his warm, impressive dramatic yet haunting vocals, and leads us into a picturesque music world full of drama, like a storm against the coldness of the heart and mind. Musically the songs are perfective, with captivating soaring melodies, huge solemn passages, tasteful hard-rocking guitar leads, some heavy driving guitars, powerful bass lines, explosive drumming, and mind-blowing classical orchestral/symphonic arrangements. There are some well performed vocal duets between Tilo and Anne. The best example is the opener "Liebe über Leben", or even more the beautiful theatrical "Celebrate The Darkness", where Anne takes the main role. Followed by one of the most dualistic and dramatic songs that Lacrimosa ever released, "Raubtier".
It's not easy to describe any of Lacrimosa's songs, let alone the entire album, because there's so much going on. It's dynamic, suspenseful, with a touch of neo-folk, but at the same time smooth, and with some necessary easy moments like is the catchy refrain of "Die Liebenden". The overall atmosphere is for an instant broken with the song "The Daughter Of Coldness", sang entirely by Anne, but even this one is intentionally put in a place where the listener can take a deep breath for a while. We are already used that Lacrimosa is ending the album in pure grandeur with the most dramatic and wicked song. That was the song "Testimonium" on the previous album, now it serves a similar purpose with the epic darkness called "Exodus". The production is perfect, similar to the one on a previous couple of albums, but with even more emphasis on the raw classic hard rock sound to stress out the guitar lines, thus making it heavier when needed.
30 years of one of the greatest gothic acts ever are more or less heard in this magnificent musical opus. Tilo speaks to the listener with love and passion that comes from a dark corner of his mind, yet indulging light out of the shadows. Lacrimosa in all these years elaborated and improved their musical proficiency while staying truthful to their huge fan base. Leidenschaft might not be as huge and grandiose as it was the four years ago released Testimonium, or as it was the monumental Elodia, but is that kind of an album that will in the first place satisfy precisely the fans of the band. It's an album that will establish Lacrimosa even more as a cult act that can still offer a lot. Immersive, deep, dark and passionate, Leidenschaft shines as one of the most personal, fragile, dualistic and warm Lacrimosa's albums.
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 9/10
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