Eternal Tears of Sorrow - Saivon Lapsi

EToS were one of my beloved melodic, atmospheric death metal bands back in the early 00s. Especially, after the amazing & their best (to date) album, “A Virgin and a Whore”, I was pretty sure that these guys were going to be huge. Unluckily, fate chose otherwise and they broke-up after a couple of years. Still, that album didn’t get the exposure and the publicity it deserved. I keep coming back to this CD even to this day and I still enjoy it as the first time. Superb work by any means.
 
Anyhow, time passed and the guys decided to reform and they started releasing albums as well. Their comeback album, “Before the Bleeding Sun” was somewhat strong, then “Children of the Dark Waters” had its moments and the same goes for the new one “Saivon Lapsi”.
 
EToS lost that “magical touch” they had before their break-up. They returned without the inspiration & the motivation of the first years. First of all, they never delivered a sharp frigging riff as they did on “A Virgin and a Whore”. Those tasteful riffs and the keys were the “secret” to their success. Through time the songwriting also became flatter and more generic… they just took the road that so many other bands of this genre have taken all these years. And those melodies are not as they used to be… are a tad forgettable nowadays.
 
Certainly, they haven’t lost it all, just listen to “Sound of Silence”, “Swan Saivo” & “Angelheart, “Ravenheart (Act III: Saivon Lapsi)” and you’ll see/hear it yourselves. The band’s symphonic (they are not overdoing it as others), atmospheric, death, gothic & melodic elements along with the crackin’ sound, they do create a good outcome that not many bands can actually reach. Then again, I’m sure they can do so much better. As for me, I’ll be waiting for the day they release an album at least equal to “A Virgin and a Whore”…