Third album for doomsters Whispering Gallery and I'm quite happy about it, because while I was listening to it I realized that it's simply one of the most honest and inspired Doom Metal releases for at least the past 2 years...
 Whispering Gallery is a Doom/Death metal band from the Netherlands, formed in the mid-nineties. The first notorious step into the world of Metal was their MCD Poems Of A Forgotten Dream, released by Killerwhale Records in 1999. Their first full album, Like A Dream Of Never-Ending Beauty... was released in 2000. From here on Whispering Gallery became one of the leading bands in the Doom/Death metal scene in the Netherlands.
A tour with Within Temptation confirmed their status and live reputation and was continued by the release of Lost As One, a self-released album which received great response from Metal zines from all over the world. After two years promoting Lost As One live, they recorded their third full album, Shades Of Sorrow at the Excess Studios in Rotterdam and found in Burning Star Records a truly dedicated company.
The album's title, Shades Of Sorrow, quite says it all. It's amazing how some people can take the pain and transform it into art, music for instance. Shades Of Sorrow is consisted by beautiful melodies that are enriched with straight, clean vocals on one hand and with deep brutal ones on the other. The songs are long and melancholic but there's also a coherence to them that won't let you get bored. The guitars and piano contribute to the gloomy atmospheres that this band creates. In addition, the artwork by Spina Studios is stunning and totally fit for Whispering Gallery's music.
Consequently, it's an appreciated effort by this band; they have a lot of potential. Whispering Gallery invited me to an emotional give and take, and I gladly responded.