Vanguard - Succumbra (CD)

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At some point the record labels must understand that they can't describe each and every new band as the apocalypse of the Metal music industry. OK, there are some cool new acts out there but NONE, and I do mean NONE, can repeat (from where I'm standing) the glorious days of the past that were offered by supreme Metal legends… I don't have to mention them here, you know who they are!
Vanguard are from Helsinki and formed in 1999. According to their press kit (among other things) they must be one of the most unlucky bands in the world (keep away from me!) since they have experienced incidents like strike of lighting, exploding mixing tables, power blackouts… at least their drummer has not exploded yet (Is this Spinal Tap?). Succumbra (what does this mean, anyway?) is their debut effort from Armageddon Music and despite their label mentioning so, it is definitely NOT the next big thing in the music industry.
Musically, one can describe Vanguard as an atmospheric Metal band. They do have some innovations since they have incorporated Cello and a Piano  in their lineup (and that gives a certain twist to their music) but as far as I can recall they are not the first ones who are doing this. The usual Theater of Tragedy pattern of dark knight, brutal male vocalist / white virgin, female vocalist is OK. The female vocals are good but the brutal ones are simply banally.
The production is bombastic, while the band got a helping hand from Alex Krull (Atrocity / Leaves' Eyes) in this matter. As for the artwork… I can't really say that the band paid a fortune to craft this lame piece of work. There's not much more to say here. This is the typical average situation: the fans of the genre better check it out. As for the rest, you better look elsewhere.