Since the coming of those Doom Metal bands with clear influences from Gothic Rock on the second half of the 90s, a whole new conception of music has come out from darkness. A conception that had many kinds of sonority to offer, from some use of electronic music effects to soft and tender musical influences. All of them are still here, bringing something good from time to time. And we can say that the veteran quartet JACK FROST, from Austria, is a survivor from this kind of music, still active after 20 years of existence. And now, they are here again, coming with their new album, their eighth one, "Mélaine Cholé".

Their music is really slow and focused in creating a tender, melodic and really Gothic Rock feeling sometimes, that can remind a bit works from bands as THE MISSION and TYPE O NEGATIVE, but keeping their two feet on Metal. Yes, it's tender and really melodic, as well as somber, but is heavy. The vocals use clear and Gothic Rock, the guitar riffs are creating the whole tender, melodic and heavy atmosphere of the album, and the rhythmic session is doing its part to keep the weight in the due way. And the final result is really very good.

"Mélaine Cholé" is clear and heavy in the both ways. This makes the audition of the album easier for those that are not so used to dark and introspective ways into Metal, as well as we can hear and absorb their music in a very easy and comfortable way, without making great efforts.

"Like Icons We Fall" has very good vocals (in a vein that reminds something of the deceased Pete Steele did) and a really melancholic atmosphere; the half melancholic and half heavy song "No Place in the Sun" and its good work from bass and drums (that keeps the music really heavy), the depressive and beautiful insight that "Loser in Your Eyes" shows, with its beautiful guitars (both on clean and distorted moments); the heavy and somber "She Must Come Down", with very good tempos and some nasty weight, but with very good clean and Gothic vocals, and we can hear the same elements on "Again and Again and Again"; and  the heavy oppression of the bass guitar and drums on "I Am Nothing" can be named as their finest moments.

Ending: we can say that "Mélaine Cholé" is a very good work from these veterans of Doom/Dark Metal.<