Flowing Tears: album reviews and ratings

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	Flowing Tears

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FLOWING TEARS: German Gothic Metal band formed in 1995.
Line-up:
- Stefanie Duchêne (vocals, 1997-2002), Helen Vogt (vocals, 2004)
- Benjamin Buss (guitars, keyboards)
- Frédéric Lesny (bass)
- Stefan Gemballa (drums)

"Flowing Tears has the potential to become one of the bigger sensations in the Goth/Metal circle -- a radiant circle that's grown in leaps and bounds in recent years and become more receptive to the advent of female fronted vocals. Flowing Tears is sad and enchanting on their new 'Serpentine' release, melancholy and often moody, they impress with their tight arrangements and contemplative and captivating textures that like their name, flow softly and purposefully. Having toured with the likes of The Gathering and My Dying Bride, they're less a handful than either of the two, opting for simply constructed odes to pain, pleasure, duress and longing. "

music-reviewer.com

Flowing Tears Discography - Album / CD Reviews

Known under the band name Flowing Tears & Withered Flowers btwn 1996 and 1998

1996: Swansongs
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1998: Joy Parade
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2000: Jade
Track Listing: 1-Godless 2-Sistersun 3-Swallow 4-Lovesong for a dead child 5-Under the red 6-Turpentine 7-The one I drowned 8-Vanity 9-Radio heroine 10-Coma garden 11-Jade 12-White horses

"The buzz surrounding the band was turning into a constant shout, and Century Media always on the lookout for the best in dark music soon inked the group to a recording deal. After some shows opening for new label-mates The Gathering, Flowing Tears entered Woodhouse Studios with Waldemar Sorychta-both world renown for their part in producing works of art by bands such as Tiamat, Lacuna Coil, Samael and countless others. The resulting effort, Jade, marked the band's label debut and propelled the band to new heights"

-- centurymedia.com

½ 2002: Serpentine
Musicfolio Picks: Merlin, Serpentine, Children of the Sun, Starfish Ride
"(...) 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. Serpentine's main strength lies in their ability to sell the song via very pleasant melodies and moods. Sure, this style has been covered many times by the likes of Madder Mortum and other female fronted doomish bands but Flowing Tears has the songwriting ability to elevate the commonplace into something a bit more interesting. Serpentine is a very pleasant surprise in an otherwise dismal influx of new music this year."

-- John Chedsey, chedsey.com

¾ 2004: Razorbliss
Tracklisting: 1. Razorbliss 2. Believe 3. Virago 4. Undying 5. Radium angel 6. Firedream 7. Ballad of a lonely god 8. Snakes of grey 9. Mine is the ocean 10. Maladine 11. Unspoken 12. Pitch black water
"'Razorbliss' is an album of change for Germany's Flowing Tears. The goth-rockers split company with vocalist Stefanie Duchene, forcing an arduous audition process in the hope of finding another singer capable of filling such an important position in the band's line-up. Helen Vogt came through the audition channel and immediately struck a chord. The chemistry was there, and Vogt was the black tape that covered the hole. Change has signalled in a breath of fresh air for Flowing Tears. 'Razorbliss' is a simple and direct album, but the songs never need a complex arrangement to hit home. Lightly sprinkled with keyboards and gentle melodies, every track here is built on the basics of a good pop song: verse, chorus, verse. The guitars are more prominent than on past recordings from the band, but still remain keenly observed and carefully textured. There are not too many stunning highlights here of note, but songs like Viragoand Believe should get people going. Every song is crammed with hooks and infectious melodies, though the album as a whole lacks something killer to really impress upon the brain for any real length of time. The most interesting element of the album is Helen Vogt; her masculine vocals completely at odds with some of the sweeter-sounding vocalists that usually litter the gothic-rock genre. Though lacking a definitive moment, 'Razorbliss' is still a very worthy album. The record never drags or stretches a point too long for its own good. This is simply a good rock record, and Flowing Tears should be applauded for sticking to a basic formula and making it work to their favour. 'Razorbliss' is the sound of a confident band with confident songs."

-- Chris Clayton, metaluk.com, 3/04

¾ 2008: Thy Kingdom Gone
Tracklisting: 1. Orchidfire 2. Pain has taken over 3. Rain of a thousand years 4. Grey 5. Thy kingdom gone 6. Words before you leave 7. Miss Fortune 8. Colossal shaped despair 9. Kismet 10. For my enemies 11. Souls of the neon reign 12. The war we left behind

"'Thy Kingdom Gone' sounds well-written and refined, practically with no flaws or loose ends, yet it’s nothing to be stunned by either considering it’s all been done before. Their fifth-full length work sees the Germans ditch the more electronic elements of 'Razorbliss' in favour of a even more heavy and crisp approach and although they still touch some of most common clichés of Female-Fronted-Gothic-Metal throughout these twelve themes, 'Thy Kingdom Gone' sounds fairly enjoyable and successfully dodges way from the usual comparisons since it is more in tow with the sounds of Madder Mortem, Moonspell and Paradise Lost than Nightwish, Tristania or Within Temptation. Perhaps it is Helen Vogt’s warmth and singular voice that makes the difference, instead of warbling like an ear-slicing Valkyrie she sings in a deep, dark and rich timbre that is highly seductive and gels extremely well with the memorable and heavy framework provided by the remaining band. (...) All in all, 'Thy Kingdom Gone' is a fairly competent affair from a band that clearly made an effort to do something a lot more interesting than the usual glut of Gothic-Metal kitsch existing nowadays."

-- scratchthesurface-webzine.blogspot.com, 10/08

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Recommended Links:

The official Flowing Tears site
FlowingTears on Myspace