In Our Eye

Tystnaden will never be a leading gothic band, and most certainly will never take the melodic death metal scene by storm. I sometimes feel that the Italian band are kidding themselves if they truly think this sound represents one that is deserving of the melodic death tag. However, since I’m not a huge fan of melodic death, I’ll refrain from the genre debates as it causes unnecessary arguments that often go round in circles and are never actually resolved with a firm conclusion that sorts the mess that genres are. Tystnaden strike me as a purely gothic band, one that applies typically atrocious male vocals alongside the usually brilliant female vocals. This is precisely what Tystnaden do, combining the clean and inspirational female vocals that resonate in us all with the absolutely atrocious male screams that offer next to nothing to the overall sound of the band. ‘In Our Eye’ isn’t exactly what one would argue as a typical gothic affair as it does consist of subtle elements of other genres, genres which don’t particularly impose their characteristics well enough to deserve credit for the general sound, which is simply gothic rock/metal.

Unlike bands like Lacuna Coil, I don’t believe Tystnaden have a sound that is willing to appeal to the mainstream side of gothic music, which is largely disappointing to fans like me, who prefer the subtle gothic acts who do their business without too much pretension or desire to break in to the mainstream that sees the money rolling in for the notable success stories (like Lacuna Coil). Though I do not believe Lacuna Coil are the epitome of gothic godliness, they certainly know how to market their music - something which Tystnaden could probably do with the knowledge of. As far as I’m aware, this Italian band are rather obscure and unknown. Though this suits my needs in terms of the challenge, it makes the record rather inaccessible, which isn’t usually a vibrant theme in the gothic scene as most bands know their way around the business like they would do their house which they’ve lived in for several years. I do consider myself a fan of gothic music, I’ve liked it since I discovered metal, but it needs to be a certain sounding gothic style that appeals to me and, unfortunately, Tystnaden don’t exactly possess the elements that make me instantly like a gothic band, nor do they possess the desireable traits that make the successful acts just that - a success. Yes, this has the same levels of experimentation, utilising instruments like keyboards and pianos to good affect, but it doesn’t strike me as any better than the vast majority of gothic music available in this day and age, which is the main problem with the Italians and their breed of mediocre metal.

Take away the better than average female vocals and some of the “pretty” guitar work and what are we left with? Well, the answer is not an awful lot. The intro to ‘Born From A Wish’ is a great example of what we’d be facing if the subtleties died out and allowed the other elements excessively portray themselves in the obnoxious manner that they seemingly do. The harsh guitars (which aren’t done any favours by the squeaky clean production), which chug along without great affect (when they’re not performing “cute”, but sparse solos that don’t really impose themselves upon the soundscapes) and the horrible male vocals, which come in a watered down death metal style, are impacting enough to cause me to believe that this really has the longevity or endurable nature that is required to be a mainstay within this tightly contested genre that consists of many talented bands who’re willing, and unfortunately able to trample Tystnaden without much effort. The aforementioned song, ‘Born From A Wish’ is a fine example of the combinational style that Tystnaden have and, again unfortunately, is a representation of the awkward sound the band has, which sees both bass and keyboards become obsolete for long periods as they also fail to impose themselves heavily enough on to the slow moving soundscapes (despite the mid to fast paced tempos) - Tystnaden do not possess a sound durable enough to move in and out of speeds with ease.

Instead, Tystnaden sound laboured and as if they’re trying to pack too much into the short songs. The problems with befriending mediocrity on the debut still persist here. Just take a look at those male vocals, once again, and you’ll understand why my faltering opinion is just that, faltering. The vocals are bordering on the metalcore genre and serve no purpose within this style, that seemingly tries to combine gothic with melodic death (though this genre only seems to be present within the guitars, when they’re at their most tedious). The free flowing gothic elements are only present within the keyboards, which are far too subtle for my liking and the female vocalist, who reminds me of the vocalist from a well known gothic band - Psychophile. The keyboards, though, are given too much pressure to perform. By this I mean they’re given a lot of freedom, without actually having the room to manoeuvre within the small space that is available on each song. Alongside the synths, the keyboards have no home on this record, nor with this band as long as they persist to kid themselves in terms of trying to be a melodic death metal act. If they believe they’re being innovative, they had better think again because this band, and this record, needs a lot of work in order to become a central figure within the genre. Still too mediocre!