Mandragora Scream
Volturna
Rating
Style: Gothic Metal
Release date: November 21st 2009
 

Mandragora Scream is through its last release Volturna somehow showing originality with its strong - though not always as dark as it sounds like it craves to be - female vocals and its twisted mood.

To me, Volturna is in the direct continuity of their 2001 release Fairy Tales from Hell's Cave; as 3 albums separate these, it is easy to see the differences between their first album and Volturna as a focusing effort on a gothic level. This technoed vulture metal reeks of Cradle of Filth (Midian) and sometimes newer Satyricon, to draw some innocent analogies.

Mandragora Scream creates a lot of electronical artifacts that drape their auditive ground. Both the arrangements and the compositions are easy to catch one's attention; if not always perfectly performed yet, the band sounds very confident within their genre, which is a big achievement as many are the ones who never succeed at showing a credible face to their audience.

The cover of Cher's ''Bang Bang (My Baby shot me down)'', far better than Cher's, has an OK piano arrangement; still it didn't work here at all! Far too cold, far too sterile! It couldn't be easy when the standard for this song has been set by Nancy Sinatra, could it? 

I am otherwise mediumly compelled by this genre, but can see the use of Mandragora Scream's music in some artistic contexts. The way I see it, had the band broadcasted their music at some alternative dance manifestations or used dancers in their videos, their expression could come forth stronger.


Tracklist

01. Lui
02. I'm going alone
03. The Circus
04. Deceiver
05. Breakin' Dawn
06. Killin' Game
07. Blindness
08. Farewell
09. A Chance from Him
10. The Calling from Isaiah
11. Bang Bang (Cher cover)
12. The Seagull's Creed
13. Fade to grey (Visage cover)
14. Nails
15. Heartbound Eve

Label: Lunatic Asylum
Distribution: Massacre Records
Reviewed by: LyM
Date: January 19th 2010
Website: www.mandragorascream.com