From their EPK, "death is a subject that fascinates mankind to no end. Based on the sheer endless amount of music, novels, poetry & paintings, the inevitable end of every person's existence as proven to be fertile ground for art to develop from. It is not often however that this subject is handled in a way that sounds both fresh and recognizable at the same time. THREADS OF FATE's upcoming album "The Cold Embrace of the Light" does exactly that and more." Their debut album contains eight tracks.

"Beneath a Starless Sky" leads off the album. It opens with melancholy piano notes and a sad, somber feeling. Distorted guitars enter with a long scream. Dual rhythm guitars and some symphonic elements then come in. If this is indicative of the rest of the album, we are in for a real treat. "Moonrise" begins with a plethora of instrumentation and clear production. Charming clean vocals ring out with some background ambiance. The song has a steady presence through clean and harsh vocals, and the somber nature of the music creates a hole in your heart that won't heal soon. A wonderful guitar solo rounds out the song.

"A Ghostly Portrait" begins with slow moving guitars, bass, and keys. The piano parts are delicately beautiful, and I am reminded of the frailty of death. Vocals are harsh at first...deep and poignant. Let this sound just take you away...it is so beautiful. It culminates in a thick sea of lead guitars and piano notes, and as you slowly go under, you don't even care. "The Horrors Within" opens with more cinematic notes before a brutal riff comes in like the monster under your bed...dark and imposing. Clean vocals temper the aggression at first, but those fat brass notes on the low end are absolutely bossy. It settles subtly just after the half-way mark, coiled to strike with a steady drum beat and piano. The monster roars back and drains the life out of you.

"Against the Shores of Le Monde" begins with piano notes and a momentous sound in the orchestration. Harsh vocals enter and there is a tug and pull between the two vocal styles, but the chorus is where the emotions really come out. "The Cold Embrace of the Light" opens with a slow crafted despondent sound, and frail clean vocals. Harsh vocals mix in, but it's the harmonized cleans that really make their mark. The guitar solo is very touching as well and works so well with the main melody. "Love Held Hands with Hatred" is a shorter song that will take your life apart note by note. This is one of the most charming songs that I have heard this year and sent chills down my spine. The harsh vocals can't win in a right with the beauty of the song, and light is victorious.

"Ashes" closes the album and is the perfect melancholy song to close an album that was both spirited and full of despair. It opens with clean vocals in a duet with piano notes and some background ambiance. Ashes are what is left of a earthly body following cremation. They are cold, grey, and lifeless. Yet deep inside them, you can still feel the essence of the person that embodied them. You find yourself asking, what is the point of life? This song will make you think, make you ponder those existential questions that are at the very core of your being. Great music will do that.

Overall, this was a transformative album. I didn't even notice that the keyboards and orchestration was done by Vikram Shankar, but now it makes perfect sense, because his compositional style is all about the charming and emotional side of music in general. I never thought harsh vocals could be so beautiful, and although the more sentimental side of the album is found within the clean vocals and piano, it is very much alive within the harsh vocals and aggressive sound as well. If this album doesn't touch you on many different levels, you might want to check your pulse and make sure you are still alive.