Through the Eyes of a Mad

Wine from Tears is yet another in the growing field of Katatonia influenced doom metal; going so far as to have a song titled 'Close to Katatonia', and for good reason. Aside from wearing the Swedish band on their sleeves they also bear a passing resemblance to Forest Stream. These are the best reference points for Wine from Tears.

The production is excellent for a debut album with all the instruments coming through loud and clear. The guitars are heavily influenced by modern symphonic black metal with lead work reminiscent of Icon-era Paradise Lost; though they lack Gregors’ finesse and skill. There are more open chorded passages to palm muted ones. The bass is buried in the mix for the most part. The keyboards have several passing nods to mid-period Emperor. It works oddly enough with the doom style they are playing here. The drums aren't anything to get excited about as they simply get the job done.

The vocals are great with the male singers’ guttural growl dominating the bulk of the songs; periodically throwing in a shriek for good measure. There are some female vocals towards the end of the album that flow flawlessly with the music. Not operatic but more in the rock/gothic format of bands like Lacuna Coil.

Musically, this is a very melodic affair. The keyboards haunt the background of the songs only really coming into the foreground when more traditional piano is being played. The music is very romantic and epic while melancholic. Sprawling leads cover the vast soundscapes of each song in between verses of woe. There is a lot going on in each song; these songs blend together forcing the listener to listen to the album all the way through. There are no bad or outstanding songs on this release. It is highly enjoyable however and recommended to any fan of true doom.

The Russian death-doom band, Wine from Tears popped out from the underground in 2009, right out onto the eagerly awaiting doom metal scene to debut this very solid record entitled, “Through the Eyes of a Mad”... And I for one just happened to stumble onto this fine record four years ago, passing through my local record store here in downtown Green Bay. Yes, we actually still have a pretty kick ass little record store called The Exclusive Company, here in Green Bay, WI, that actually pays a respectful amount of attention to heavy metal. Anyway, since I am an avid doom metal collector, I decided to pick it up and give it a spin on my stereo, and I must say that I am very glad I did! This record actually is not that bad for a debut album, and it does get fairly regular playing time on my stereo, even after four years of owning it. So I decided to share my thoughts with you as to why I think you should definitely check it out!

For starters, Wine from Tears' song structures remind me so much of mid period Officium Triste, Novembers Doom, decorated with a sprinkling of Katatonia, that is finally all wrapped up into one big ball of quality death-doom to devour. I eat records like this up that have similar traits to the bands mentioned above. The vocals are a mix of low growls and clean, softly spoken passages, and I think they are very appealing to my senses. Plus, you can actually understand everything the vocalist has to say on every song! Also, there is plenty of melodic guitar playing throughout this record, that definitely takes center stage on this release, and I was pleased about that because of how much I love this instrument. Both guitarists offer up some very catchy riffs and flawlessly executed emotional leads on many of the songs on display here.

And it should be noted that none of this record will sound entirely new to the devoted death-doom fan, but I think this band gives a very fine rendition of this style of music. Every member plays their instruments quite well, ultimately paying much respect to those bands that surely had some influence on them getting this band started in the first place. I especially like how the keyboards are used in many of the songs. They really help to accentuate the multi-layered atmosphere created by both the guitarists. Essentially, I feel this music has very well thought out construction. And it is equally melancholic, majestic and peaceful sounding to my ears.

On the negative side, the only thing that I thought about this record that was clearly unnecessary during the recording was the decision to include 12 excruciatingly long tracks to round out the records final product to the metal masses. I mean YIKES... I realize this was the band's first debut and they probably wanted to offer up a lot of material to show their loyalty to doom, but this record is way to long for its own good. And I think some of the tracks could have been shortened up or possibly saved for the band's next disc, which I am still patiently waiting for. These guys definitely need to get back in the studio.

This is not my most favorite death-doom band out there., but all in all this is a still a very solid choice for the doom or death metal collector who likes his or her doom music with loads of melody and somber textures to play on those heart strings. My favorite tracks would have to be the somber, soul crushing third track, "The Sinner", the mountainous and majestic sixth track "Close to Katatonia", the oh-so depressive and very emotionally moving second track, "Since I Fell" and finally my favorite tear jerker, "My Tears". So, in closing, if you’re a big fan of The Netherlands, Officium Triste, Sweden’s Slumber or the plethora of early works released by Sweden’s Katatonia you'll definitely get into this band's brand of death-doom.

Cheers!!!

Hailing from Samara Russia, Wine From Tears debuted their first album Through The Eyes of a Mad (a mad what? I have no clue…) back in 2009 via Bad Mood Man Music.

After the intro concluded, I knew immediately what I was in for, and I wasn't disappointed. I have to admit, I'm a huge sucker for this sound. Wine From Tears plays a melodic death/doom metal with a melancholic mood that never lets up (think early Katatonia, early Paradise Lost, Saturnus, Officium Triste, etc). The melodic riffs are the main event here, but they are interspersed with some heavier crunchy sounding riffs as well. Occasionally the tempo picks up and things start to sound more aggressive, although this never seems to draw away from that melancholic mood. I really like the keyboards too, because they don't overshadow the melodic guitar riffs. Instead they supplement them nicely. The bass and drums don't really stick out, and they aren't really anything special. The vocals are mostly well done growls with a few clean vocals thrown into the mix (there are even female vocals on "Feeding the Angel").

Admittedly Through The Eyes of a Mad isn't the most original album out there. This sound has been done quite a few times before; although I think that Wine From Tears did it very well. For some people, it might be too long of a listen (it clocks in at 77 minutes!) and at that length, things can start to sound a little bit repetitive. It probably would have been best to keep it at 60 minutes at most.

So if you like your doom metal to be melodic, melancholic, and a little aggressive look no further than Through The Eyes of a Mad. Heck, even if you are looking to get into doom metal I would say that this album is a great one to start with.

Jeez, if it’s not a discography I’d say 77 minutes is just too damn long for an album, and this is really a negative aspect of "Through the eyes of a mad" (a mad what? Might I add) as it just takes too long to get through the album. Unfortunately that’s not the only thing bugging me with the release. I can’t help but to constantly feel like they’re just trying too hard; trying too hard to sound depressive and sad. It feels a little forced. I mean, on the bandphoto in the booklet the singer is even down on his knees, looking into the sky with sand running through his fingers…

They’ve got some pretty good guitar lines and classic doom metal aspects. But as soon as I’m trying to concentrate on a good aspect of the album I instantly come up with a negative one to counteract it. Sure, the melodic guitar lines are good, but it never ends. It’s just so jam-packed with melody it’s difficult to take it in. And when the guitars sounds as they’re about to ease up on the whole thing with some heavier, more chugging riffing the rhythm guitar presents some not-so-interesting stuff (with a rather thin sound) and the lead guitarist goes on with a melodic solo instead. Besides that, the keyboard hardly ever shuts up. Although, since it’s fairly hidden behind the guitars you can block it out. The drumming, on the other hand, presents nothing interesting either as it pretty much sticks to a couple of beats with some exceptions.

It sounds like Wine From Tears is stuck in the early 90ies, unable to invigorate the typical sound, but rather treading the same worn-out path. It’s not that it’s bad; you’ve just heard it so many times before. It’s also a classic example of too much; it’s just too much of everything. The really great parts of the album are easily forgotten since it’s flooded with loads of redundancy. Take for instance the "Bless me bleeding angels" track, which presents both a great guitar line and an interesting keyboard. "Feeding the angel" is another track to remember, which offers beautiful female vocals interacting with the main male growls. Although this adds a gothic aspect (and I can’t stand goth) it’s still very well done and highly enjoyable. But as I said, this is easily overlooked and forgotten.

To me this should’ve been a 30 minute demo, for which the band would’ve gotten some response and could’ve taken some constructive criticism for; making the debut album a whole lot stronger. It’s not really bad, just flooded and a little too gothically obsessed with angels.

Originally written for http://www.mylastchapter.net