One Without – Thoughts Of A Secluded Mind

So… What we’ve got here this time? Gothic metal, huh? Well, to be honest, I am not the biggest fan of the genre. Gone are by far the times when bands like Paradise Lost or Sentenced and Tiamat were releasing great and groundbreaking albums. In a time where in most cases, it’s all about speed, brutality, double bass and growls, comes One Without from Sweden to convince us that things are different.

In a way, they have managed to take me by their side. One of the lucky events in being a music journalist or critic is discovering new bands, combining and listening to completely different styles of music and in the end, if possible, putting all things in a balance and see what weighs more. That’s what I have done with One Without and the balance got towards their side in the end and I’ll explain you why.

First of all, despite its 53 minutes of duration, ”Thoughts Of A Secluded Mind” contains some catchy songs, filled with melody where they must, with some heavy outbreaks and with Catrin Feymark doing a good job on vocals. They reminded me mostly of the good times of Lacuna Coil, though Catrin has a far better voice than Cristina Scabbia and she won’t pose like a model in high heels to gain the fans’ attraction (I am not saying Cristina did this but surely she could).

Also, they reminded me a lot of the sad and emotional moments of Sentenced, especially after they released ”Frozen”. Since Sentenced are no longer with us, it is not that bad to have something close to them. And last but not least, the last Lacuna Coil album was many steps backwards for the band. This one, without the big budget, stands the least equal to the pre-refered album from the Italian band.

So, as a start, One Without didn’t do that bad. They can’t be described as different or as if they could bring a tide in the calm waters of metal music. On the other hand, they are honest and they try to make their presence known to the metal map. Time will tell if they make it or not. With a little more personal identity, I am sure they will present to us something better and different. So guys, be careful because next time you won’t have the wild card of being newcomers. From me, they pass the exams in good rating.