You will get really impressed if you read LACRIMOSA's biography; I mean Tilo Wolff set the first foundations of this one man project band back in the 90s by putting together a demo tape entitled Glamor filled with melancholic music enriched with classical elements, poetic lyrics and his emotional voice.  The word impressive goes with the fact that Mr. Wolf released the first LACRIMOSA full length album Angst through the Hall Of Sermon record label that was created by him to ensure his artistic freedom! Somewhere in 1994, Anne Nurmi joined the former solo-project to become a permanent member. Apparently, Nurmi, who was the keyboard player and singer of the Finnish band TWO WITCHES, expanded the musical boundaries of  LACRIMOSA with her voice and composing potentials.
Through all these years LACRIMOSA have created a strong reputation and a matching fan base by mixing Gothic Rock melodies with the roughness of Metal music. Their latest collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra produced in the mid of 2005 the studio album Lichtgestalt that took the band into extensive world wide touring where they recorded some of the shows. These recordings where used to create a double live CD and a DVD, under the same title, Lichtjahre (meaning light years).
The promo CD that reached the Metal Temple headquarters is a small taste to the whole release since it contains a selection of the full recording. Nevertheless, the result is excellent; the recording catches the deeply emotional atmosphere of the studio albums and combines them with energy of a live concert. Actually, some of the songs sound way better on the live recording; the heavy elements sound heavier and the orchestra takes the songs into a higher level. Kelch der Liebe is a perfect example for my saying, since the sounds more powerful especially the guitar that really kicks major ass during the solo. Even the tracks from the band's prime years have been enhanced and gained some speed like Schakal that comes from Inferno that saw the light of the day in 1995. You can feel shivers down your spine as soon as the accordion melodies join Anne's ethereal vocals in the emotional Not Every Pain Hurts that kind of shares the same dynamic with the excellent TIAMAT work on Wildhoney. In the depressive atmosphere during the poetic The Party Is Over has something from the FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM dark gothic perspective by introducing of some non-metal instruments.
The album caught completely off guard because I couldn't imagine that LACRIMOSA would sound like that in a live recording. After listening to this song selection I will definitely lay my hands on the DVD homonymous version to top visually off this excellent work!