Eldritch - Tasting the Tears

Eldritch Tasting the Tears cover
Eldritch
Tasting the Tears
Scarlet Records
2014
6.5
New album for the Italian prog/power metalers, Eldritch. Three years after “Gaia’s Legacy”, they’re back with an album that’s more of a team effort, as they claim. “Tasting the Tears” is somewhat more straightforward than their previous ones. The melodic metal and heavy/power metal elements, along with very few heavy/thrash & hard rock ones, are more intense and they take over the whole album.
 
Lyrically, the new album talks about love. Not standard love between two partners, but love in all its forms. That’s what the press release says. Then again, I do fancy love among 3 or more partners so I’m in! All jokes aside… but what would you think if I told you that, musically, the new Eldritch album is more into melodic heavy/power metal & talks about love?!! I’m wondering how the band’s old-fans will take that. Furthermore, the production, which was done by their guitarist Eugene Simone is great. Kudos also goes to Simone Mularoni (DGM) who mixed and mastered the album. I guess it’s impossible to go wrong with Mularoni behind the mixing desk.
 
I do like seeing bands evolve no matter what. If Eldritch think that this approach fits them better and opens a new road to their music horizon then who am I to argue? Certainly, this ain’t something totally different nor do we have to do with a change of style. Do not be misguided. The band is still the same, delivering their music even though each album is influenced by different things in the specific time it was composed & recorded. “Tasting the Tears” would have been really strong if it were somewhat more memorable. You know, the straightforward metal approach must have stronger hooks to be rather desirable and alluring. In the main, this is a good melodic heavy/power metal album which features a few fine tracks (“Inside You”, “Alone Again”, “Something Strong” & “Clouds”) but it doesn’t excite in the end…