ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW - Chaotic Beauty (2000)

Country: Finland
Label: Spinefarm
Official website: www.eternaltears.info

If the cover didn't say ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW, I would not believe it, because they really have made a quantum leap in song-writing between the last album and "Chaotic Beauty".
The opening "Shattered Soul" alone sweeps away most of what the Melodic Death Metal has spawned in the past months! The beginning with the fast drums, ultra-melodious guitars and keyboards could just as well have been written be NIGHTWISH and the following throaty Death Metal-voice and the implemented Melodic Death Metal-parts negate any suspicions of plagiarism… Already now a classic!
But the Finns haven't shot their load yet, because the following "Blood Of Faith Stains My Hands" adds a good bit of heaviness, but again the very melodious lead-guitars dominate the song and form a good contrast to Altti Vetel�inen's raough vox.
Then ETOS also fuse their sound with a harmonic piano ("Autumn's Grief", "Bride Of The Crimson Sea"), add a cliche-free female voice ("Nocturnal Strains") or smack your ears as with "Tar Of Chaos", where the speeding drums are even underlaid with a cembalo.
This album has given the genre-mates of ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW to gnaw on, because this CD has all a future classic needs!

Tracklist:
01. Shattered Soul
02. Blood of Faith Stains My Hands
03. Autumn's Grief
04. The Seventh Eclipse
05. Bride of the Crimson Sea
06. Black Tears
07. Tar of Chaos
08. Bhean Sidhe
09. Nocturnal Strains