Fallen
[Fantom Records]

Many of you may be unfamiliar with For My Pain by name, but you might know them by their lineup.  This is a project featuring three ex-members of Eternal Tears Of Sorrow and Nightwish keyboardist/songwiter Tuomas Holopainen.  The result of this collaboration is a great disc of goth metal, Fallen, that sounds both familiar and fresh.

Featuring heavy guitars and plenty of atmospheric keyboards, Fallen has a sound somewhere between To/Die/For and latter-day Sentenced. There are female vocals on a few tunes (courtesy of Ram-Zet's Miriam Renvag) to complement the excellent vocals of Juha Kylmanen. Keyboards are prominent, but they never get in the way of the vocals. Melody is key here, and Mr.Kylmanen sings them with a rich and versatile voice.  I found myself humming these tunes long after the CD was turned off.

Production plays a big part in the overall success of Fallen.  Clear, spacious and much brighter than most goth metal albums, the mood isn't quite as bleak as one might expect.  One look at the lyric sheet, however, will tell you just where these guys are coming from.

I was taken by surprise by this little gem of a disc.  Great melodies, strong songwriting and superb production all combine for an excellent debut.  I highly recommend Fallen.