Of Empires Forlorn
[Rage Of Achilles]

Ladies and gentlemen,welcome to the new season of American Metal Idol...

As I have stated in past reviews, I'm all for variation, bucking trends, and individuality. Well, While Heaven Wept has all that, yet they still manage to turn my stomach with every agonizing spin of their first full-length, Of Emptiness Forlorn. I'm a huge fan of doom metal in all its various guises, but WHW's brand of sickeningly-sweet and cheesy "doom" had me reaching for the stop button as quickly as I could.

First, let me say that While Heaven Wept do have a somewhat unique sound. They combine an old-school melodic doom sound (Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, etc.) with very power metal-ish vocals and lots of keyboards. The problem is, the vocals are so over-the-top and saccharine, they completely ruin what may have been a decent listening experience. Tom Philips has a very wide range, but he is ridiculously overdramatic, and his bright melodic style just doesn't fit the lyrical content or doom style. His voice is somewhere between former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske and Joey Tempest of Europe. I could see this guy on Star Search or American Idol, going for that perfect score with those high notes. After two songs I felt the urge to stick something sharp and pointy in my ears. As far as keyboards go, I don't mind them being used sparingly in the doom genre (a little atmosphere is always welcomed), but here it is just too much. The band can certainly play their instruments, but the riffs are very plain and the tempos have a sameness throughout the album.

The production on Of Empires Forlorn is solid...if it were a power metal album. The doom genre needs a darker, less focused sound that this album lacks considerably. It's actually produced a little TOO well. There is a hefty amount of bass (the only thing they got right), and the mix is very good.

Sometimes an album strikes a raw nerve in me for reasons I can't explain. While Heaven Wept have done that, and I think it's because one of my beloved genres has been sullied with those godawful vocals and cheesy keyboards.

Simon, what do you think?...