Prey by Tiamat

Tiamat have been one of Sweden's oddities for the last two decades, ranging from synth-rock to gothic metal to death metal, there's something for pretty much any fan of dark music to enjoy. However, 2003's Prey marks something of a return to form, sounding something like a cross between Wildhoney and Skeleton Skeletron. Specifically, the album is fairly diverse, with a smattering of influences and styles, but the majority of the songs are gothic rock or gothic metal, with the remaining songs falling under either ballads or interludes. Johan Edlund employs the deep, crooning, clean baritone delivery he's used since A Deeper Kind of Slumber, and it works remarkably well, creating a suffocatingly depressive atmosphere with his deep tone and the desperate, almost hopeless quality of his voice. Occasionally, in lighter songs such as "Clovenhoof", and to a lesser extent, "Wings of Heaven", his croon takes more of a sultry tone, seductive rather than hopeless, although there's still a hint of desperation present. His performance is also aided by vocalist Sonja Brandt on the songs "Divided" and "Carry Your Cross and I'll Carry Mine". Her tone is light and clear, presenting a very innocent, sweet, and slightly sultry delivery, providing an interesting contrast to Edlund, and overall making an excellent addition to the album. The duet on "Divided" is especially good, with a short dialogue passage that's deliciously evil and hopeless. This album comes out in deluxe gatefold edition, in two colors (Gold / Red) 500 limited edition each. There is also a special limited edition of 60 copies in Metal Box for the collectors (Gold Vinyl).