STILLE

I always find Lacrimosa's albums a decidedly hit-or-miss proposition, and Stille is a perfect example of this; coming out a couple of years after Inferno, which perhaps is my favourite Lacrimosa release, I find that it adopts a grandiose pomposity not justified by the gravitas of the music offered. The vocals present don't quite attain the operatic quality they're groping towards, the classical and metal influences are both drab and fail to grab the listener's attention, and on the whole the music seems sparse and minimalistic where it really cries out to be rich, lush and baroque. In short, it seems to consistently fall short of the standard it sets for itself.