Despite the fact the promotional material cites Dutch The Dreamside as one of the leading Goth bands, I have to say that I'm not overly impressed by this their ninth full-length.

From the outset, I have an issue with singer Kemi’s voice. The very first tones to come out of her in the disastrous first track Everlasting sound flat and off key in a way that makes her sound like the singer in a high school band. Not a good way to start.

This improves with second track Silently Awake, but the vocal effort throughout the album is definitely of varying quality. The best results are actually reached when Kemi’s voice is mixed with the male guest vocals that appear on ‘Lunar Nature’.

When she’s at her best, Kemi’s voice sounds either a bit like Anneke Van Giersbergen or Kirsten from the now defunct Bloodflowerz.

There are a few fine songs on here. Tunes like Carry On and In Longing have their effect, but on the whole, this album doesn’t live up to the standards of the alternative Goth rock that’s out there these days.

Next, please.