Lacrimosa, Testimonium

The last time I wrote about Lacrimosa, I was saying it’s a band I have very mixed feelings about, that it has moments of brilliance and then moments where it loses me completely. Since then, I realised that Lacrimosa is an acquired taste, something that takes time to “get”, but once you get it, it’s hard to stop the admiration from pouring. So after falling in love with Hoffnung, I started going back to their old albums, started loving them too and now I’m just over the moon with happiness over how awesome Testimonium is.

I will quickly get over tracks like Zwischen allen Stühlen, Herz und Verstand and Black Wedding Day, because although some more upbeat and rhythmic songs are probably needed to spice things up a bit, they’re not exactly what I like this band for. They’re not exactly very good either, as the tune is rather catchy and engaging, but by the end becomes very repetitive and even irritating. Also, there is something missing when they sing in English. English is a beautiful language for music and poetry and it has a lovely flow, but the German language fits Lacrimosa and their style and atmosphere like a glove. More than fit it, it enhances it, it gives it character.

With the only slightly negative thing I am going to say about this album out of the way, let’s move on to grandness. I find it very hard to put my thoughts into order, because I feel like going “omg, this is just gorgeous” in regards to just about everything. I’ve already talked about Tilo’s voice and how there’s something very special about it, even though he may not be technically impressive. He is just amazing at conveying emotions, sometimes even with the most austere vocal approach. Both his quiet low-pitched voice and the high intense one are so piercing and raw, he always knows exactly what type of vocals to use to best tell his story and oh sweet love of music, does that high moan in Weltenbrand give me the chills every time I hear it. Anne also has an incredibly intriguing voice, wailing, a bit hoarse, always gliding and always playing in a very sensual way. And the instruments are delightful as well. Of course the orchestra is amazing, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about one of the best symphonic bands around. I especially love the use of the violins and the strong classical touch, which is not the kind of soundtracky modern orchestra most metal bands use (there are parts that you could actually attribute to a 18th century piece). But even though they shine when it comes to the symphonic aspect and they rely heavily on it, it would be an injustice to ignore the metal part of it, which is also right up there and is mingled with the orchestral one in a masterful way.

So now that we’ve established that each piece taken separately is worthy of praise, let’s talk about the beautiful whole they achieve with them. I used to be a bit put off by their quiet minimalistic moments, but I’m really starting to get their appeal now. There’s a delicacy and profoundness in them that is fascinating and so touching once you quiet yourself down along with the music. And then they allow for such amazing growth and evolution of the song, and make the intense drilling moments even more powerful by providing contrast and taking you on an intriguing meandering journey. I would liken it to a roller-coaster, but there’s none of the bumpiness that such ride offers, all the transitions are slow, smooth and well thought out and the build ups and softenings seem so natural. And the atmosphere is incredible. Dark, creepy, gentle or sorrowful, there’s always a depth and emotion that is hard to put into words. Although they are very theatrical and one often feels like he’s in an old Gothic story while listening to them, there’s also a lot of genuineness in what they are expressing and except for the bouncier more shallow tracks, the music and feelings that accompany it are so intense and moving that it’s almost impossible to remain numb. It’s actually extremely interesting how the same people who are so minimalistic at times can also reveal such fervour and turmoil.

They’re so attentive to details, everything is flowing so beautifully, there is so much emotion, profoundness and musicality, such a great balance between gentleness and power, simplicity and complexity, sorrow and hope… just listen to that ending of Lass die Nacht nicht über mich fallen and tell me your heart isn’t tied into knots! This is one of the albums that truly needs careful listening, without any distraction. After playing it in the background while doing something else I thought it’s a good record, but once I gave it my whole attention and focus, I realised it’s amazing. You can sink in it, feel with it, dream with it, cry with it, there’s a myriad of wonderful deep emotions that it expresses and if you give yourself to it, you might discover something stunning and be completely fascinated, as I was.