If you check the reviewers name before reading like I do and check this site out regular enough you’ll probably be quite surprised to see a death metal junkie like me reviewing such a mild album. Well I can explain I assure you. In the dim and distant past when Theatre Of Tragedy wooed me with their atmospheric gothic death doom in the mid 90s I was addicted, no that’s too strong a word and makes me sound like a stalker, no obsessed, flipping heck I’m digging a big hole here. Shall we say I rather liked Liv Kristine’s vocals on ToT early days and when she was ousted from said band I more or less said goodbye to following Theatre from there onwards and instead latched onto Leaves’ Eyes and more importantly for this review her debut solo album “Deus Ex Machina” from 1998. Now admittedly I was taken aback by the way the debut came across as a set of slow ballad like tunes but as time went on I grew accustomed to it more so due to Liv’s sweet vocal style. It took some eight years before “Enter My Religion” came out and that time saw the musical direction change into distinctly more pop rock with tracks like “Fake A Smile” and “You Take Me Higher” being prime examples.
And so after my short biography another four years have passed and we now have the third solo album and again a change in direction is blatantly obvious from the off. Opening with the title track, and single output, “Skintight” is Gothic pop rock at it’s purest, with Liv still delivering her sweet semi-operatic tones with an upbeat goth tempo. As always it’s Liv’s vocals that are the star of her albums as her performance here outshines her previous solo efforts. It is also fair to say that the operatic style has been reined in a tad as she opts for a more folk like direction on “Twofold” as the song structure still has that choral harmony similar to “Enter My Religion” material. “Train To Somewhere” has a pop rock feel and is much more upbeat compared to the ballad like “Love In Grey” which has a good lead as Liv’s vocals are as impassioned and delightful as ever. Her lyrics are personal and accessible if you want to join in especially on “Emotional Catastrophies” which is a very catchy tune.
The slower more mellow aspects of Liv’s solo material are never far away, such as on “Lifeline” and “Wonders” but it’s the upbeat tempo material that stands out on “Boy At the Window” giving “Skintight” an enjoyable almost uplifting listening experience. A slower more thoughtful direction is taken on “Versified Harmonies” which kindles memories of her debut though the chorus line of the title is a little clumsy on the tongue. The album closes with the splendid “The Rarest Flower”, a beautiful track that begins with a vocal solo and piano accompaniment that is tearful and atmospheric. With each of Liv Kristine’s solo albums being very different her latest is a good starting point if you want something that is markedly different but very enjoyable and thoroughly relaxing, but be aware this is nothing like Leaves’ Eyes.
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