After two years of silence Flowing Tears are here once more with their latest album Serpentine; able as always to pour some gothic emotions in our minds and souls.
They are now a quartet since Mike Volz (keyboards) and second guitarist Manfred Bersin have left the band in 2000. Benjamin Buss took over the keyboards as wel as the guitars. So this their first album as a quartet rather than a sixtet that we were used to.
It is hard, in my opinion, to be able to write colorful and inspiring gothic music but Flowing Tears do just that. And they do it well!
While gothic metal is very difficult to review my job was easier than I had imagined because their music is subtle yet genuine. Serpentine has some mellow and sweet songs like Portsall and Starfish while other are heavier and more technical, with some tendency to experimentation in new sounds that are not quite gothic; Breach is a good example of that.
Stephanie Duchêne's voice has more room to unfold its magic in this album, being deep, sentimental, sweet, with an ability to flow from one feeling and color to the other in the same song, guiding you with her.
Frederic Lesny's bass is deep and vibrating in all the songs and gives a characteristic heaviness in their music. To this point the Benjamin Buss's guitars and Stefan Gemballa's drums are very good supplementing the bass and at times coming in the foreground to give a different breath in the song; Cupid Of The Carrion Kind is a good example of that.
Serpentine is well woven with all of its twelve songs giving an excellent whole. If you like gothic then do not hesitate... They have a tradition in making good music afteall. Go grab it!