Metal with Gothic elements comes in many shapes and forms. From the almost Poppy, commercial sounds of LACUNA COIL, to the Synth-laden Extreme Metal of CRADLE OF FILTH, it's clear that Metal and Goth music have become tied together, and complement each other extremely well. PASSION FOR SORROW, from the Czech Republic, has been combining Gothic elements with Death Metal for six years. After releasing a demo in 2009, the band has just released their debut album, "Rotting Immortality", through WormHoleDeath Records. Does this album measure up to the plethora of great music that has been inspired by Goth music?

 The song, which opens this record, "Secrets of the Dark", holds plenty of promise for the rest of the record. It begins on the beautiful acoustic section, which gives way to some brilliant Melodic Death Metal mastery. "The Phantom" has greatly benefited from being re-recorded, and balances the Gothic and the Death aspects of the music very well. Unlike some bands, which either lean almost totally toward the Gothic, or towards the Metal side of their music, they manage to make sure that both sides are well represented in their music. The same can be said for the other songs which featured on their demo, like "Lost", "My Inspiration" and "The Day Death Left the Grave"; they have all benefited from being re-recorded for this release, and they mix all of their numerous elements together in one big melting pot of Heavy music. This, I believe, is one of the key strong points of this band. The eerie piano section which opens "Dark Seeds", followed by the razor sharp Melodic Death Metal that comes with it, work very well, and it's clear that the Gothic elements are very prominent on this record. Robert's heavy vocals add another incredible element of darkness to the already dark sound of the music. "World at the Abyss", easily the heaviest track on this record, is really brilliant song which shows that they can produce great music even when the Gothic elements in their sound have been almost completely stripped away. The longest song on the record, "Dying", is a much slower affair, and has a brilliant calming affect over the listener. The title track on this record, which also closes it, is a great way to finish this brilliant album on. It has riffs in abundance, powerful vocals and above all a great atmosphere. It is perhaps the best way to close this record, apart from "Dying", which I feel could have worked just as well at this point in the album.

I love this kind of music, and I think that this band is one of the best examples of getting this kind of music right. I sincerely hope that this release sees this band gain widespread popularity and attention, and brings them to stages across the world. This band may very well have produced a sound that will shape the state of the Goth/Metal hybrid for years to come.<