Fraility - Lost Lifeless Lights & New Ep

Ok this is a two in one review of Fraility's "Lost Lifeless Lights" album and their new untitled EP.The album for those who have never heard the band isn't your usual run of the mill Doom stuff.The mixture of influences are wide ranging which while it makes it a interesting listen,it also makes the band sound a little un-defined in places.From Traditional Doom Metal,Funeral Doom,Blackened Death Doom to Gothic styled Rock they cover a lot of ground.The album starts off with a spaced out droning intro before heading in all sorts of directions and sounds.The production is superb,beautifully recorded by Gints Lundbergs who i don't know much about but the guy obviously knows what he is doing.There is Funeral Doom moments like in the track "The River Of Serpents" and then you have more mid-tempo passages as in the track "Graphics In Ebony".There is a lot of Gothic overtones throughout the album due to the use of keyboards but for the most part its pretty heavy stuff. Vocalist Mārtiņš Lazdāns does a good job of putting across the feeling of sadness and despair and with the raw guitar sound backing everything up,it makes for some solid music.The closest comparison would have to be " My Dying Bride ",its pretty Gothic but with enough darkness to please the average Doom Head.The undefined sound can be a little confusing at times,are they Gothic or are they Traditional Doom.Well actually they are both,its a somber recording full of emotion,great players though and beautifully produced. 8/10

The EP is a little different,you can notice the musical progressions within the songs and there is some slight changes in sound.The band is obviously trying to come up with their own sound and style and trying to avoid the usual Death/Doom cliches.For the most part it works but it may be a bit much for the Traditional Doomster out there checking it out.The keyboards take more of a back seat on this EP,they are still there but play a lesser role than on the full length album.There also seems to be more aggression on the EP,the final track "A Flower In The Dark Tide" being a good example of this.The growl of the vocals is there along with the bands ability to write anthems in the sense of Doom Metal.The guitar work is excellent as is the production but what section of the Doom community will pick this EP up is hard to say.They one of those bands that seem to be trying to cover all bases and for the most part is works.Cant pick a favorite between this and the album. 8/10

www.myspace.com/frailtymetal