It is indeed a long voyage for Born For Bliss from their first album released in 1997. And after we’ve heard what Born For Bliss can deliver, we are opened for one more Born For Bliss experience. And it is an experience indeed.
The album’s opening track is “Innocent” that runs in an almost hypnotic manner, a repetitive and mesmerising song, complemented by female vocals which run in line with Frank Weyzig’s expressive voice. After the song that can make you feel a bit at unease, here comes “This Narrow Place”, an ever so soothing, emotional and atmospheric track. The perfect balance between the musical and vocal part is achieved and delivered. As Frank is so passionate in his vocal performance, I must surrender to his voice and let my mind float on this cloud of sound; this is more than just a song, it is a whole story, and if you can listen to the lyrics, it becomes even more deep and emotional. The further proof that this is an album you surely need to pay your attention to is “Underground”. Even though more up tempo than the previous one, nothing is deducted from its emotional dimension, as it seems that each song is a deep introspective trip into your own being. And even though it brings me a sense of heaviness, I am at the same moment utterly happy for hearing this album. Frank is more passionate in his singing than ever, and his female companion can keep up to anyone’s standards.
“Greed” is a song that requires for sure more than one listening from me, as it is surely a bit more thoughtfully made than it can appear at first. It relies mostly on emotionally filled vocals, where everything else seems to be submitting to them, and the main character of this song are the lyrics. The heaviness however persists. “Falling Back” takes you further by the hand, leading you to explore the soundscapes, as I can not describe this album better. Someone has managed to release a truly author’s album and I can not even hear the influences (or I don’t care to). I don’t know if that’s good, but can’t stick any labels here, as if someone has squeezed all of the emotions in a tight box, and I have just opened it; they’re right in my face now and I can feel every second of someone’s emotional thought while creating it. “Hours” starts gently, quietly, with a sadness, but then sadness pours all its power into the strong and howling guitars, beating drums, raised voice and goes back to its silence again.
“Better Than Me” starts with the main theme, again built around vocals, but develops musically into a powerful and another hypnotic and psychedelic track. “Wrong” for some reasons is the deepest point for me on this album, so atmospheric, so melancholic, so again hypnotic and so right.
“Walk On By” can fool you with those harsh guitar riffs for a second, but what awaits is some more ambient melancholia here that opens up more instrumentally towards the second part of the track.
“Four Horsemen” is a phenomenal track that delivers some more raw power right from the start, carried by the sound of the guitar and a non sustaining rhythm. And after another pure atmosphere track “Thorns” there is my favourite track, at the very end, “Anxiety”. It is combining and merging all into one, electronic and acoustic elements, and unforgettable voice of Frank. After listening to this album you are surely not going to forget it, and I know it will linger with me for some more days. It should be treasured as one of the most remarkable releases this year, something that I will remember 2015 by as a good year!
Tracklist:
01. Innocent
02. This Narrow Place
03. Underground
04. Greed
05. Falling Back
06. Hours
07. Better Than Me
08. Wrong
09. Walk On By
10. Four Horsemen
11. Thorns
12. Anxiety
Release date: 16 October 2015
Label: Echozone
Enjoy the video for Better Than Me!
