All Reviews
Forgotten Tomb - Negative Megalomania
Release: 2007Label: Avantgarde Music
By: Tordah
Posted: Feb 16, 2007
When you talk about suicidal and bleak music it would be a crime not to mention the Italian band Forgotten Tomb. This black/doom metal hybrid led by vocalist/guitarist Herr Morbid have gained a lot of respect and praise for their earlier albums from both press and metal-fans world-wide. "Negative Megalomania" is their fourth album up to date and it follows in the same path as before but with some new, very interesting additions.
This was one of those rare albums where I knew it would be good after only hearing the first few minutes. Forgotten Tomb paints a black and negative atmosphere that can't be mistaken. The music remains mostly mid-tempo to slow throughout the whole album except for the occasional fast part with blast-beats and tremolo-picked guitars. I guess you could draw comparisons to "Brave Murder Day"-era Katatonia but that doesn't do the album justice. Forgotten Tomb is much bleaker than that and the growls are very intense and harsh. The band has somewhat made it their trademark sound to often play chords plucked slowly with a lot of distortion and reverb. This gives a very hollow sound and feel to Forgotten Tomb's music that is instantly recognized. I was also surprised to find so many memorable melodies and riffs on this album as I did and that is certainly a good sign that the band is doing something right.
The addition of clean vocals might come as a major shock to many present fans and I must say I was quite taken back myself when I first heard them. What surprised me even more is the fact that they are very good. The clean vocals are very powerful and express the anguish and negativity of the lyrics in an honest yet raw way. It also adds more variation to the music which is good since variety is an area where Forgotten Tomb has struggled in the past. Especially when you write tracks that clock in over 10 minutes it can be nice to have some contrast. In fact I'd go as far and say that the entwinement of clean and harsh vocals on this album is a very warm welcome. The lyrical themes once again revolve around such nice subjects as suicide, deceit, hopelessness and total darkness.
Musically, this may very well be Forgotten Tomb's most mature and complete effort so far. You can really tell that a lot of time went into composing and polishing these songs. There are also some progressive elements here as the songs twist and turn with several tempo-changes and different playing styles guitar-wise. Especially the track 'Blood And Concrete' struck me as quite progressive. The different parts flow seamlessly into each other to create an impressively coherent and bleak picture of extreme metal art. It still sounds very much like old Forgotten Tomb but with some new influences peaking through here and there. The production is once again massive and powerful with a raw edge that sets Forgotten Tomb apart from the many bands with intentional horrible production jobs that this genre so often offers.
In conclusion, I would say that this is Forgotten Tomb's strongest album from an artistic and aesthetic point of view. It's just a matter of taste if you prefer this one or the extreme rawness of "Songs To Leave" and "Springtime Depression". The band has gone through a logical progression which new release and "Negative Megalomania" is another strong addition to their solid discography. I must say I'm very curious to hear what their next album sounds like. Out of all bands I would never have expected one of bleakest and most suicidal black metal acts to implement such a dramatic change that the addition of clean vocals did. It certainly opened new doors for the band to explore musically and that's exactly what they did here. No need to worry though, the same old bleak and depressing atmosphere is still present and Forgotten Tomb does not disappoint.
This was one of those rare albums where I knew it would be good after only hearing the first few minutes. Forgotten Tomb paints a black and negative atmosphere that can't be mistaken. The music remains mostly mid-tempo to slow throughout the whole album except for the occasional fast part with blast-beats and tremolo-picked guitars. I guess you could draw comparisons to "Brave Murder Day"-era Katatonia but that doesn't do the album justice. Forgotten Tomb is much bleaker than that and the growls are very intense and harsh. The band has somewhat made it their trademark sound to often play chords plucked slowly with a lot of distortion and reverb. This gives a very hollow sound and feel to Forgotten Tomb's music that is instantly recognized. I was also surprised to find so many memorable melodies and riffs on this album as I did and that is certainly a good sign that the band is doing something right.
The addition of clean vocals might come as a major shock to many present fans and I must say I was quite taken back myself when I first heard them. What surprised me even more is the fact that they are very good. The clean vocals are very powerful and express the anguish and negativity of the lyrics in an honest yet raw way. It also adds more variation to the music which is good since variety is an area where Forgotten Tomb has struggled in the past. Especially when you write tracks that clock in over 10 minutes it can be nice to have some contrast. In fact I'd go as far and say that the entwinement of clean and harsh vocals on this album is a very warm welcome. The lyrical themes once again revolve around such nice subjects as suicide, deceit, hopelessness and total darkness.
Musically, this may very well be Forgotten Tomb's most mature and complete effort so far. You can really tell that a lot of time went into composing and polishing these songs. There are also some progressive elements here as the songs twist and turn with several tempo-changes and different playing styles guitar-wise. Especially the track 'Blood And Concrete' struck me as quite progressive. The different parts flow seamlessly into each other to create an impressively coherent and bleak picture of extreme metal art. It still sounds very much like old Forgotten Tomb but with some new influences peaking through here and there. The production is once again massive and powerful with a raw edge that sets Forgotten Tomb apart from the many bands with intentional horrible production jobs that this genre so often offers.
In conclusion, I would say that this is Forgotten Tomb's strongest album from an artistic and aesthetic point of view. It's just a matter of taste if you prefer this one or the extreme rawness of "Songs To Leave" and "Springtime Depression". The band has gone through a logical progression which new release and "Negative Megalomania" is another strong addition to their solid discography. I must say I'm very curious to hear what their next album sounds like. Out of all bands I would never have expected one of bleakest and most suicidal black metal acts to implement such a dramatic change that the addition of clean vocals did. It certainly opened new doors for the band to explore musically and that's exactly what they did here. No need to worry though, the same old bleak and depressing atmosphere is still present and Forgotten Tomb does not disappoint.
Rating: 8,5/10
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