We are saying that everything that was to be played in music has been already been recorded. The truth is not far from that agreement. But this is not an excuse to record the same album again and again, from all the new bands.
TODESBONDEN is a new band from the USA. They have released an EP back in 2004, called Stormbringer… and that's about it! Even in their official site they don't mention anything else. It's nice to have a 'low' profile, but some listeners may want to find out more about a new band.
Anyway, here we are dealing with another 'female vocals' band. Their music is more a mixture of folk, celtic, neo-classical and acoustic than Metal. You will hear some guitars in their compositions, but the base of their music is the piano and the violin. The songs are mostly mid-tempo, with few exceptions were you may listen to more straightforward Metal drumming. The album has some nice moments, like Fading Empire, were the mixture of the classical piano, the violin and the guitars is giving the track a beautiful atmosphere. But, even though the voice of Laurie is soft and binds nicely with the music, you will find it in the forefront, leaving the other instruments in the back and making the compositions losing some of their power and melody.
Sleep Now, Quiet Forest is not a bad debut album. If you like something that is not that Metal, you may listen to it for two or three times. They have the potential for something good in the future and if they keep working hard, and write songs like Sailing Alone and Fading Empire, TODESBONDEN is going to give us some nice albums. But, until then…
Tracklist:
Surrender to The Sea Surya Namaskara Trianon Angus Og's Fiddle Fading Empire Ghost Of The Crescent Moon Flow My Tears Sailing Alone Lullaby (The Wickerman Soundtrack cover song) Battle Of Kadesh Sleep Now, Quiet Forest
Lineup:
Laurie Ann Haus - Vocals, Arrangements Jason A. Wood - Guitars Jason Ian Vaughn Eckert - Bass Patrick Geddes - Violin James Lamb - Keys