Formed by drummer, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores The Murder of My Sweet definitely demand attention. The name of the band is inspired by the 1944 movie “Murder, My Sweet”. I am not much into this kind of music – a mixture of pop, sympho and gothic. But this female fronted band from Sweden has made an excellent debut with their first album “Divanity” – this concept is the band’s own expression of diva, divine and vanity!

First I read that The Murder of My Sweet play heavy metal, and after listening to the album I was really surprised, because the stuff is in the field of symphonic pop-rock-goth. Although the songs are quite different musically they remind of Krypteria – the goth-metal quartet that have also been described by some quarters as being power metal, and symphonic metal by others. The Murder of My Sweet hit you with heavy riffs, right from the beginning of the album. This light heaviness however, is in direct contrast to front woman Angelica Rylin’s vocals, providing a more melodic element. Further into their music and you’ll find operatic and gothic elements, the occasional air of classic/stadium rock, and even dashes of pop, making for an interesting mix, marrying a cool riff to strings with an operatic backing.

“Divanity” has the potential to please a wide range of heavy rock fans, given its mix of a spectre of sub-genres, without sounding laboured or contrived. It is a strong demonstration of the band’s ear for a good melody. As recommended tracks I could point “Follow the Rain”, “Kiss of Death” and “Storms of the Sea” which showcase everything that’s good about this band, from Angelica’s vocal range, through Palmqvist’s guitar work and keyboards of Lindahl, to dynamic rhythms of Niemann and Flores. The finale of the album is a track call “Death of a Movie Star” – it switch from soft, rippling sounds and beats to limitless rage with beautiful melodies and as the band describes it – it is their own “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

If The Murder of My Sweet can continue to produce material of this calibre, this band should easily continue to rise. Although I find their album characteristic because of the star galaxy of female fronted bands in the same style, here we have a good debut. It would appeal to fans of Lacuna Coil and Evanescence as well.