Review Summary: Fallenmania, Part 35
The Murder of My Sweet’s first album is probably a better example of their cinematic metal sound, inspired by movie soundtracks, symphonic metal and Fallenmania. That’s because the songs are more memorable and catchier, but also because the sound that the band is going for is more noticeable and probably better executed.
The album starts by… telling you that there are no monsters under your bed, or more generally, that there’s nothing to be afraid of, so go ahead, in a pretty catchy song called “No Evil”. There’s some energy to the riffs, and the call-and-response vocals are a nice touch. It ends with some kind of old-timey record creaks, to fit the band’s 40s film noir gimmick.
But the next track, “Follow the Rain”, is an even better example of the band’s retro aesthetics, with its music video where Angelica Rylin is dressed like a sort of goth-ified 40s singer. The song itself is a pretty catchy symphonic metal with a powerful chorus that seems to nod towards symphonic metal, rock and even some kind of retro r’n b. But it also has a great heavy riff and gloomy keyboards. Other songs are similar, but heavier, especially “One Bullet” and its explosive riff and sharp industrial touches. “Tonight” has a very catchy, energetic chorus. “Bleed Me Dry” is just like “Follow the Rain”, but more: another 40s-gone-goth outfit, an even more powerful chorus that owes as much to rock and r’n b as symphonic metal, even heavier guitars and keyboards.
The bridge, where Angelica sings in a quiet-to-loud voice about a toxic relationship she’s had, owes a little something to Amy Lee, and after this track, the Evanescence influence becomes more obvious. The best track of this kind would be the triumphant, dramatic “Kiss of Death”, with the dark piano and Amy Lee-inspired singing of the verses and the bombastic chorus. That’s one of Angelica’s best vocal performances, and probably one of The Murder of My Sweet’s best songs in general. For other enjoyable tracks, there’s also the mix of keyboards, electronic sounds and heavy riffs of “Chemical Attraction”, and its angsty yet angry tone. Just listen to the Going Under riffs and piano solo on the bridge. Or the dramatic piano and synths of “Storms of the Sea”.
The last part of the album is somewhat different from the others. “Destiny” uses similar, very fallenmaniac synths and symphonic metal elements. “Revolution” uses some strange electronic effects and speak-singing vocals, and some vague but catchy lyrics about bringing the revolution, whatever that means. Then you get a few tracks that might be full of retro references like “Valerie” or “Death of a Movie Star”. But “Valerie” sounds like most songs on the album, and its only memorable part is the chorus about how “it’s too late for Valerie”. “Death” is another really obvious fallenmaniac track, with the synths, riffs and dramatic tone. However, the melody on the chorus is a note-for-note copy of Within Temptation’s “Frozen”. “Can’t tell the reasons I did it for you” vs “Give me a reason to forgive you”.
This just goes to show that The Murder of My Sweet is inspired by many symphonic metal (or symphonic-adjacent) bands, especially the ones that have a very accessible, poppy sound and a certain similarity to movie soundtracks. They take a lot of existing musical ideas and mix them together. When it works, it sounds like so many things at once that it’s hard to find a specific artist to compare them to. When it doesn’t, it feels like a watered-down version of things you’ve already heard too many times. Both those things could be said about Evanescence too. But “Divanity” mostly works. The songs are catchy, Angelica’s voice sounds great and really unique, the music feels inspired by the good parts of “Fallen” and “The Heart of Everything”, but adds to it, with musical ideas that feel completely like the band’s own thing. This is why I consider this album to be The Murder of My Sweet’s best. You can do without their next albums (well, I could never get into them, at least), but this one is a really good piece of cinematic, retro, fallenmaniac symphonic metal.
