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Band: Scheitan
Album title: Wine For A Tormented Soul
Release date: 19 December 2025
Label: The Circle Music
Genre: Gothic Rock, Gothic Metal
Tracklist:
01. A Kiss Of Death
02. Heaven Tonight
03. Döden är helt underbar
04. Love n' Death
05. Every Little Thing
06. Out Of Here
07. Carry Me Home
08. Dream Away
The Swedish band Scheitan, essentially the long‑running creative vessel of Pierre Törnkvist, began its journey back in 1996. At the time, Scheitan operated firmly within black metal territory, and the debut Travelling In Ancient Times, released that same year, remains a hidden gem every devotee of the genre should know. A brief detour followed with the less successful Berzerk 2000, before Scheitan delivered the now‑classic Nemesis in 1999 — a record that shifted toward black’n’roll infused with a gothic sensibility. Tracks like "A Silent Hum" and "My Isle" have been fixtures on my playlists ever since. And then, Scheitan vanished. Despite Pierre’s continued involvement in other bands, the band lay dormant until, to the surprise of many, it resurfaced two years ago.
Today’s Scheitan is an entirely different creature from its 90s incarnation. The first comeback single, "Lost In Time", already hinted at a new direction — a plunge into the depths of melancholic gothic rock. Several singles followed, culminating in the 2024 return album Songs For The Gothic People, a title that leaves little room for doubt. For me, it was a superb record: seductive melodies, a romantically melancholic atmosphere, occasional simple yet effective pop‑tinged dance rhythms, playful electronic touches, and Pierre’s deep, powerful, slightly husky baritone — all of it irresistibly draws you in, candlelight flickering somewhere in the background.
It seems Pierre’s creative spark has returned in full force, because Scheitan has just released a new album through The Circle Music — the band’s fifth full‑length, Wine For A Tormented Soul. In many ways, it feels like a continuation of its predecessor: eight tracks offering a similar, if not nearly identical, musical experience. At barely thirty minutes, the album is short, but it unfolds as a collection of dark tales about love, death, and everything in between. Wine For A Tormented Soul is a brief yet sweet descent into the velvet shadows of gothic rock.
At first glance, it’s a simple album — but it’s remarkably easy to surrender to it and enjoy everything it offers. It is filled with sorrowful yet heart‑piercing melodies that cling to the listener, deep synth layers, sparkling piano accents, occasional heavy guitar riffs that add weight, pieces of acoustic insertions, excellent vocal lines, occasional female vocals that enrich the atmosphere, intriguing electronic elements, a touch of doom‑metal weight, and an omnipresent sense of melancholy. If we set aside the somewhat bland opener "A Kiss Of Death" — a generic gothic rock landscape despite a few interesting guitar riffs — and the closing track "Dream Away", which isn’t bad but lacks the grandeur one might expect from a finale, the rest of the album is an emotional experience of surprising depth.
"Heaven Tonight" feels destined to become a staple in goth‑club DJ sets (and I highly recommend the Ashbury Heights remix released as a single this August). With its unmistakable late‑70s/early‑80s disco undercurrents, it practically demands movement. Meanwhile, "Döden är helt underbar" — likely the first Scheitan track ever sung in Swedish language — pulls the listener into sweet, shadowy depths of catchy darkness and melancholy from which the album refuses to let go.
Tracks like the irresistibly seductive "Love n’ Death", the addictive romantic doom‑tinged tale "Every Little Thing", and the beautifully melancholic "Carry Me Home" radiate a sense of nostalgia without unnecessary complexity, forming the undeniable emotional peak of the record.
Wine For A Tormented Soul is an album that anyone drawn to melancholic, straightforward compositions — especially accessible, dynamic gothic rock that settles easily into the ear — should hear. While influences from The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, The 69 Eyes, HIM, Type O Negative, Tiamat, Golden Apes, and similar acts occasionally surface, Scheitan still delivers a recognisable musical identity. For some, this album may serve as a form of sonic therapy; for others, it will simply be a deeply enjoyable immersion into quality, heartfelt gothic rock.
Review by Tomaz
Rating: 8/10
