Finnish Tacere's debut full length album will see the light of day in January 2007. Meanwhile, this taster was released to raise interest towards the band. And interesting this is! And my first taste of the band, too.

Tacere's music is dark, dramatic and heavy a fuck. Both aurally and emotionally (Tacere translates to "being silent" in English, but they truly aren't, heh). The band heavy metal with classical and movie soundtrack music styles (best presented on 'Autumn Rain Part 1: I Have no Soul'). Tacere should not and must not be mixed with Nightwish, as this band is much, much more darker and dramatic. The songs are stories, taking turns when the lyrics require it. Tacere are pretty unique, but some Dutch female-fronted bands come to my mind while listening to this.

Production is top-notch. There's loads of things going on for the most of time, anything has its own pace. Orchestrations are created with synthesizers, but sound almost real, as one might expect from modern technology. Some sound effects are also utilized to raise the atmosphere. Helena Haaparanta has a versatile voice and is one of the best female vocalists I've ever heard. The male vocals are also dramatic, but not even close to miss Haaparanta's beautiful and powerful voice. Still, better than Marco Hietala's voice... This duet does remind of Nightwish a bit, to tell the truth.

Well, now I know why Torre praised the band's 'Eras - Reveries' 2005 demo. Tacrere can create atmospheres, they can create good music and they are really talented. Another high-class act from Finland. 'A Voice in the Dark' provides a good taster, even though I really don't like too much about the EP format. And there's no new songs, only re-recordings. I'd rather wait for the album...

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
12/06/2006 16:56