Band : Despairation

Album Title : A Requiem In Winter's Hue

Label : My Kingdom Music

Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous

Release Date : 07/03/2008

Release : CD

This is already the fifth album by this German band that you easily can describe as a melancholic rock band that brings a more symphonic, progressive version of David Bowie , vocals included. The opening song “ Kiss Of Ashes ” is a very good example of this. For those vocals Sascha Blach gets help from Victoria Trunova . But you can hear a wide range of musical styles like alternative, gothic, metal, rock and psychedelic. But a lthough they get a label of an orchestral gothic dark band, Despairation sounds more like a typical progressive rock band such as Porcupine Tree, without reaching that high level. “ A Requiem In Winter's Hue ” is a nice album with eleven very balanced songs. Vocalist Blach sounds too much like David Bowie and that's a compliment but also a burden. Of that earlier gothic touch is no much left, all their new songs have p rogressive rock elements. Open minded listeners who love bands like Marillion , Porcupine Tree or the latest Anathema can surely get warm with the sound of this German quartet.

78/100

Guido Claes.