Songs of Sorrow

Bleakwail's "Songs of Sorrow" is Christian black/gothic metal in the vein of early Dimmu Borgir (circa "Stormblast", "For All Tid", etc.), and honestly, it's not bad at all. In essence, what we have here is another good unblack metal band that released a decent EP and little else, then promptly disappeared and/or morphed into other bands. Bleakwail is one of those bands, with only an EP and a couple of demos to their name. But when you look at other unblack bands such as Frosthardr, Admonish, and the like, it really seems like it's par for the course.

This EP is chock full of slower, gothic-influenced black metal - we're talking keyboards galore, atmospheric passages, good production, doom metal-esque drumming, and varied vocal work. It's all here, and frankly, it sounds great. For a self-released EP, the production is very clear and balanced.

"Passionate Peace", for me, is the highlight of the album - mournful riffing, agonized cries, booming doom vocals, cathedral organs in the background - the whole song, for this style of black metal, is simply fantastic. Other tracks are almost equally as good - the only time that this band sinks a bit is when they indulge in the clean vocals, especially on the title track. Spoken word passages on tracks like "Veni Sancte Spiritus" are well done - reminds one completely of Shagrath's spoken vocals on "Stormblast".

Overall, a very well done slice of gothic unblack. Obviously, fans of the harsher sounds of Suspiria Profundis, Horde, and the like, are going to find this EP not so much to their liking. If you're into Antestor's middle period sound, Vaakevandring, and Crimson Moonlight circa "Eternal Emperor", you'll dig this completely.