Lake Of Tears
„Ominous“
Dark-Metal, Dark Rock, Prog-Metal/Rock. Vinyl. 2021

After 10 years of abstinence, the Swedes finally released another album in 2021. Daniel Brennare has succeeded in creating a haunting, emotional journey to the end of the universe. An astronaut, stranded alone in the void, must prepare for his inevitable end. It is haunting because in the fictional story, Brennare comes to terms with his cancer. A dark album, not something I would listen to casually. Its emotional depth invites you to listen. Then it unfolds its full force.

Gothic rock/metal, a pinch of psychedelic, a little homage to Space Oddity (... "It must be done, now put your helmet on, the countdown has begun"...). Broken lyrical structures and clear music, less convoluted than we are used to from prog. Like a soundtrack. The eight songs belong together and share the same atmosphere. Quiet passages alternate with hard riffs.

We feel what loneliness is right from the first song. In "At the Destination," spaceship I 5573 has reached its destination. "There is nothing here. Nothing here at all." But there is nothing. "Reporting back to station, is there someone there?" No answer. No new direction. Loneliness paired with helplessness. The vocals are distorted in parts and support the spacey impression. The metal beat of the drums, in turn, tells us what's going on. At the very end, the next song begins quieter with a cello.

It continues seamlessly with "In Wait and in Worries", a quiet start with piano, after a minute it changes to quiet guitar playing. Slowly increases in urgency, culminates in a high point and then falls away at the end. Our "hero" is stranded on a rocky planet. Why did you send me here alone? And there is no new destination. 5573's systems are starting to fail. No communication. This is my last message. "But it must be near to morning".

“Lost in a Moment” is powerful and driving. But all that remains is the realization that nothing is left except old memories (“The dream you had when the night was young”) (“The dream is leaving”).

The first “monster”, “Ominous 1”, appears in the best gothic rock tradition. Dark, a punch in the gut. It’s about physical decay. “I am Doom. Darkness and Desease.” From the entity’s perspective, it’s almost a declaration of love to the entropy of all existence. For our astronaut, a depressing prospect. Ominous 1 is wild and aggressive. And happy that every moment of his waiting is over. Ominous 1 has been waiting for just this moment. “But now that you are here, every minute, every moment disappears”.

"Ominous 2" is the more difficult mental "monster". It crawls into our heads and just waits for us to weaken. A gentle start, piano and strings. "Is there a reason to go insane?" and Ominous 2 is hell-bent on explaining why there is one. "When there is no longer meaning... there is a reason to go insane". With every second that passes now, Ominous 2 gets stronger and stronger and breaks us. This song is also written from the entity's perspective.

“One without Dreams” begins with drums, a guitar, then the bass and leads the astronaut to the realization that the end is coming. “The End is coming, with every breath I’m taking in.” It is too dark, too cold. Was the past just a dream? Now that every moment has lost its meaning. The finality is emotionally summed up.

“Cosmic Sailor” brings color back. The second part of the LP becomes more and more abstract and “Cosmic Sailor” is no exception. The astronaut’s perception changes, colors and words without meaning. The point where one has come to terms with one’s own mortality. A kind of reconciliation.

Ominous leaves little room for happiness. It describes the way to deal with difficult life situations, to come to terms with inner anger and helplessness. Accepting the situation is the first step to find peace.

Conclusion: Highly recommended emotional music with a very personal touch. Anyone who likes dark gothic rock/metal will definitely buy it. Anyone who is prepared to put their "genre shyness" aside will be rewarded with good music.

The author sees this album from two perspectives. Firstly, as dark Gothic, as pure fiction whose morbid "beauty" is fascinating. And as a lesson on how to deal with very difficult situations.

The photos are all from my CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.