By: Anders

Posted: Mar 30, 2006

This Portuguese gothic rock/metal band is now ready with its debut album "Burdens". The band is fronted by the female singer Carmen Susana, Rune Eriksen controls the guitars and the song writing and Jaime Fereira and João Samora are handling the rhythm section.

The music is quite laidback and soothing, with a tense psychotic atmosphere present when best. The guitar riffs are dark and atmospheric, though the progression in them aren't much, the play is kept pretty simple and often the heavy and jazz-sounding bass is handling the sound-picture with sporadic guitar strums, that works pretty well at times, though in the length of the album it becomes a bit dull. The compositions are as such good and catchy, though they need the last bit of energy to keep ones attention at the songs throughout the album. Too much sound the same and some of the patterns are what the listener expects. The vocals are very good, their normal pace is soft and very enchanting and when Carmen once in a while enters a psychotic range with her voice, there are an eerie, almost King Diamond like feel over the music. The operatic soprano deliverance of the lyrics, works well with the rather theatrical compositions.

I didn't really know what to expect when I popped this album in the player, though what I got wasn't near anything that I'd ever expect of a band that I didn't know much of. The theatrical jazzy gothic very atmospherically metal Ava Inferi delivers is kinda hard to get to the bottom of, for some reason. Perhaps the music isn't intriguing enough or perhaps it is too intriguing in its own mysticism, I don't really know and can't find a solution to it. For me the album is good in small doses or if the right dark and melancholic mood is present! If you feel intrigued by any of the above ramblings, do check the album out, you'll might end up surprised!

Rating: 7/10

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