Thick & crunchy guitar work, atmospheric keyboards, and strong female vocals propel the sophomore release Fate from Pennsylvania's Fountain of Tears. With one foot in the metal/hard rock pool, the other dipping the toes in gothic rock, and add in a little bit of prog, and you have an idea of what to expect with this band. The production of crisp and full of life, which gives lead singer Vonnie King plenty of room to accentuate her mix of powerful and ethereal vocals over the music. Highlights include the killer "Desire", a song that could easily be a hit hard rock single in a perfect world, complete with memorable hooks, driving rhythms, and plenty of muscle, while "Ten" is a symphonic number filled with tasty keyboards and King's soaring vocals, as well as a gymnastic guitar solo from Mike DiDonato. The rich "Jasmine" is another strong one, permeated with prog-rock keyboards and the intricate drum patterns courtesy of Joey Daub, who is a real star in the making, as his playing is something to hear throughout the entire CD.
Fountain of Tears are a band that has worlds of potential, and it will be interesting to watch their career go from here. I'd love to see them take the style of a song like the title track "Fate" up a notch, as this one sees them throw in some technical guitar work amidst soaring melodies, wild drum rhythms, and memorable keyboard tones. I'm sure the progressive metal world would love to see a female fronted band that's NOT doing the Nightwish thing, and Fountain of Tears has all the tools to make an impact with a style that's just a bit different than what we would normally expect.
Track Listing
1 Weeping Sky
2 Corruption
3 Falling
4 What Lies Ahead
5 Forever Lost
6 Desire
7 A Descent Into the Maelstrom
8 With My Fears
9 Ten
10 Entropy
11 Jasmine
12 Fate
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