The Rain I Bleed - Narcissist
Narcissist
CD Info
2011
Twilight Vertrieb / Germany
9 Tracks
English Lyrics
The Greeks do seem to have a thing for the Symphonic Gothic, and they do it as well as anyone, the Dutch included. The Rain I Bleed is another new Greek band that follows in this nicely paved direction. Now there are clearly those who say we have enough of this type of music, but I disagree. You just can’t get enough good music, no matter what the style or genre. And this music does carve out its own particular nitch in the garden, although there are certainly all the required prerequisites that we associate with this approach to music. The band is the creation, as I understand it, of vocalist and Greek hottie Mina Giannopoulou. She seems to be the creator of much of the music and, since vocals are the driving force on this production, the music is intended to showcase that talent, and it is a talent of some considerable value. However, if Mina wanted to be the entire show, she sure messed up with her selection of guitarists. We get some first rate battle axes here, these guys are about as good as it gets. There is, of course, a significant symphonic, don’t know how they did it, samples maybe, but I didn’t have much luck communicating with the band since they were in Germany much of the time I was putting this review together and when they did return, their English was only marginally better than my Greek so interactions were limited to say the least. And, since they are a relatively new sound, there’s not a lot out there about them.
But, we go with what we have, which is nine solid Gothic tracks, solid musically, lyrically and from a production standpoint. So, we’ll start there. And, as all good reviews must do, we’ll begin by attempting to classify the music. I would personally describe it as Symphonic Gothic, but others throw around the terms progressive and melodic so if this helps, go for it. Mina’s vocal being a strong driver of the music, a bit about that vocal would be helpful. It’s not a traditional classic sound, although, with some tracks like the lead track, The Utter Me, we flirt with a classical soprano during forays into the upper regions of her vocal range. Oh, and, when you take the time to listen, please don’t forget to pay attention to those crushing guitar solos. If that doesn’t bring the blood to a boil, try this one which is augmented with some interesting shots of the lovely vocalist. This second cut, Lullaby, is the ballad on the CD and showcases a part of Mina’s repertoire that is not regularly featured on this particular work. Too bad, she can handle the slow and beautiful equally as well as she does the hard and crashing. Lyrics do take us to a Gothic place, one so many of the Greeks seem comfortable exploring:
Don't wake me up while I'm dreaming the stars,
all I want is to be here on my own.
The river by my side made from my tears,
is calling for me while I'm gone,
I know I won't be here for a long
The more typical direction for the band comes with titles like The Day After Tomorrow, a cut where we are driven into the song with those signature pounding guitars. The vocal starts out slowly, then distorts before the crushing metal catches up to take us to the symphonic. And here we get what The Rain I Bleed is really all about; this is Symphonic Gothic where the guitars actually do more to drive the music than the symphonic. I typically prefer the symphonic driving the sound, but here, it sure sounds right. These are guitars to stir the soul, to reach out and touch the inner Goth, to remind you what life is about at its finest.
And speaking of the symphonic, nowhere on the CD is it captured better than in Nocturne. Best cut on the CD, IMO. There’s a live cut as well here, not exactly Hollywood quality but you get a chance to see our foxy vocalist in the flesh, so to speak, and that’s worth paying the price for the less than sterling quality audio you have to put up with to see it. Oh well, the mind does wander on occasion. But, the song does present all that is truly great about the band, some truly interesting production, those crushing guitars and the always entertaining Greek vocals. Oh, and the lyrics are worth paying attention to as well:
Your grace within haunts my thoughts
Condemn me dream of you forever
Kiss on your skin to feel your freshness
Strong to live without you or together
Another track that follows that symphonic direction is Eternally. It follows a similar approach, lots of classical work up front, but this one continues that direction a little longer. Vocals seem to be recorded in separate sections as Mina’s vocal again approaches the soprano as she climbs the ladder. Maybe it’s just me but I sure wish she’d do more of that, when you got it girl, go with it, don’t leave anything behind. We get less guitar work on this one, it’s a more classically oriented direction, but there are moments to be sure. Again, the message takes us to a darker place:
Close your eyes, dream of me, I am here
Not in a fairy tale, feel it, it’s real
I’ll keep an eye on you while you sleep
You keep an eye on me
Or lost we’ll be eternally
This music takes a particular tack. It pretty much stays there, although there is sufficient diversion into various sub directions to make it interesting. We get the harder materials, we get the too rare soft stuff, but we get a solid middle of the road sound that really tends to define the music. The Rain Into My Eyes may define the music as well as anything. It starts out rather slowly, builds a bit in the middle, but gives us a taste of the hard stuff at the end to keep us going. On the other hand, Tearful Eyes takes us right to the crunching stuff right from the top of the song. We get most of what the band has to offer, those crushing guitars, a bit of the symphonic and some really nice layered vocals, along with that solid lyric that tends to make it all come together:
Save me from thoughts, into the world where I feel so cold
Into the dream of your infinite realm
My fates a star shining in the sky, always far
But forever blessed by the angel’s cry
Solid, and worth the price of admission. Another Greek sound that seems to illustrate why we call these islands a cornerstone into what Western civilization is all about. And done with some of the best music you’re likely to hear. Even better, sung by a vocalist who makes a visual interpretation that makes it even more interesting. Can’t beat that combination.
9.5 / 10
