Review: Lament – Through the Reflection
From the Vault Review
Lament – Through the Reflection
When one thinks of melodic death metal, generally the first bands that come to mind are the famous Gothenburg three – In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates; for Christian metal fans, the Finnish act Immortal Souls also comes to mind (as an aside, it’s pretty cool that Derrick Vella of Canadian retrodeath titans Tomb Mold gave them and their album Under the Northern Sky a shoutout on the podcast Into the Combine). But Lament, a Mexican death metal act that formed out of the ashes of brutal death metal act Beheaded in the late 90’s, are probably not the first band one thinks about. To be sure, Beheaded’s sound gave little indication of the melodeath direction the band would take. And despite the acoustic guitars and softer, reflective passages heard on their debut Tears of a Leper, the Demilich-esque vocals of original vocalist Marco Perez, grinding guitars and frantic drum blasts bore little in common with the sounds of European melodeath at the time (1997). But it was Lament’s second album, Through the Reflection, that really amped up the melodic side in a way that I have yet to hear on any other album.
Reduced to a power trio with longest-standing band member and drummer Abel Gomez taking over vocal duties as well, Through the Reflection decidedly backs off of the heaviness of their debut, replacing it with an intricate sense of layered melody (surprising, as the band pics show two of the three members wearing Crimson Thorn shirts!). Where other melodeath albums soar, this album grooves. Where other albums expand into epic sonic landscapes, Through the Reflection turns inward, emphasizing introspection, longing and loss. Where most melodeath records emphasize twin guitar harmonies and leads, the bass guitar here takes centre stage. As a bassist myself, it’s refreshing to see that bass guitar can function in a leading role like this. To be sure, Mortification’s bass guitar was more often than not a prominent fixture in the music, standing out above the guitars at times, but Lament (specifically bassist Iram Gomez) bring it to a whole new level. On Through the Reflection, the bass focuses on high, clear, trebly notes that dance above the foundation of the rhythm guitars below. The more violent drum work on the band’s debut is replaced by, dare I say it, danceable, rhythmic grooves that are entirely bizarre to hear on a death metal record. And yet, it all works. It shouldn’t, but it does.
Eclectic is the operative word here; indeed, the smorgasbord of different stylistic elements going on here is something else. The lead guitars on “Come Near” are reminiscent of those heard My Dying Bride’s The Light at the End of the World, giving the song an epic, doomy feel. The melancholic, autumnal acoustic guitars on “1250 Dead Without Reason” totally remind me of a specific section heard on “The King of the Shadowthrone,” a track off of Norwegian black metal band Satyricon’s album The Shadowthrone. Last track “Tears…Instrument For Reflection” boasts beautiful female singing by an unnamed vocalist more in line with what one might hear on a Draconian or The Sins of Thy Beloved record. And Abel Gomez’s strained, hoarse shouts stand in stark contrast to Marco Perez’s bowel-shaking gutturals, sounding more akin to Chase Mason of Gatecreeper. While his near-histrionic style on here can be grating, the juxtaposition of it with the melodic approach makes for an entirely singular listening experience. What’s even crazier is the catchiness of it all; many times, I’ve found myself humming the bass line that’s front and centre on the title track simply because of its earworm qualities.
Lyrically, the band focuses on the theme of suffering, loss and adversity and finding peace in the mercy and love of God. If the album were to have a central message, it seems to me founded on Psalm 51:10-12: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Pain of heart is a constant theme, but this pain is always replaced by hope – “Your mercy walks by my side, My song is victory over death” (“1250 Dead Without Reason”) and “His hands heal scars of sin, Old man lift your eyes, Your heart again begins” (“Roots of Wind”).
As you can tell, Through the Reflection is a real mix of different stylistic elements.
What’s even more incredible is how Lament manages to blend it all together into a cohesive whole rather than a Frankenstein’s monster of styles all grafted together. At no point does Through the Reflection sound like the work of a band unsure of what it wants to do or what direction it wants to take. Sometimes, the brutality can wait (and later albums like The Ancient Battle of the Saints definitely re-iterate that Lament can absolutely crush when they want to); Through the Reflection is something refreshingly different. It may not be for everybody, but I
dare you to find another album like it.
For Fans Of: Your guess is as good as mine on this one! Closest I can reckon are Mortification, and earlier Pantokrator.
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