Search - Flowing Tears :: Serpentine

For the melancholic

Rick van der Ham | 10/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fourth album of Gothic rockers Flowing Tears from Germany. Compared to their previous work, the album Serpentine contains more Metal influences. The songs are groovier and a little bit faster and less dreamy. It makes the album more divers. Compared to other Metal bands with female vocals, Stephanie Duchene has got a very unique voice. Her voice is strong, deep and melancholic. The songs are short but catchy. The guitars are groovy and the keyboards complete the songs. I highly recommend listening to Serpentine on a autumn night with headphones. If you like melancholic Rock/Metal with suitable female vocals, then check out Serpentine."

Excellent moody rock / metal

shadowking | north bondi, nsw Australia | 05/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Serpentine is a prime example that simple, well written songs, coupled with a capable vocalist go a long way. This young German band go for a more straight forward "rocking" approach on Serpentine, abandoning the doomy landscapes of their previous "Jade" album. Naturally singer Stephanie Duchene steals the show with her strong, distinct voice and a great ability to sell melody and emotion. Musicaly this album borrowes a familiar formula - Heavy Guitars, drumming and light keyboards and its style resembles The Gathering (Nighttime Birds), Left Hand Solution, Pale Forest and maybe some Katatonia - so fans of those bands should take notice. The mood of the album is melancholy without succumbing to typical gothic melodrama or cliches.A fine release, this is the Flowing Tears album to hear first. If you like this one then check their previous masterwork "Jade"My fave tracks: Starfish ride, Serpentine, Justine, Merlin, Carnage people."

Not very original, not overly complex, but nonetheless good!

Brent P. Frey | Prairie Village, KS USA | 12/11/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album was my first contact with German's Flowing Tears, even though they have released three other albums. I must admit, I wasn't too thrilled with this after my first listen. After all, Flowing Tears is very much a surprise as this four-piece (formally a six-piece) plays a relatively generic, commonplace style of heavy gothic music yet still somehow comes across as very enjoyable and worth the time spent after a few spins. I think what ultimately captivated me and propelled me to listen to this over and over was frontwoman Stefanie Duchene, whose expressive and exotic alto voice sounds so different then the usual soprano (comparing closely with Mariana Holmberg of Left Hand Solution). She's yet another shining gem in this genre competing with the likes of Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil and Anneke van Giersbergen of The Gathering (whom Flowing Tears has toured with, along with My Dying Bride). The music is a slow paced affair that doesn't quite hit doom moods, but is most certainly somber and brooding. There are ample passages of heavy guitar playing at moderate tempos with the occasional underlying synth waves and quiet passages. While you will not find anything ground breaking or innovative, you will find some very rock solid and stable tracks that provide their backbone. After multiple listens tracks like "The Marching Sane" and "The Carnage People" will grow on you with their infectious hooks, tight arrangements, and catchy melodies. To help matters even more, the rich and luscious production gives "Serpentine" an added atmospheric dimension. Though overall this isn't going to break down new barriers or redefine this so-called "darkwave" genre, I'd welcome bands of this high quality any day."