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Secret Discovery - Alternate review



Reviewer:
8.0

2 users:
8.5
Band: Secret Discovery
Album: Alternate
Release date: 2006


01. Away
02. Mein Kleiner Tod
03. Weck Mich Auf
04. Nichts Ist Mehr Wahr
05. Forever In You
06. The Same Way
07. Broken
08. Ich Kann Dich Sehen
09. Lass Mich Los
10. Changes

Secret Discovery are not a new band as many of you might think, on the contrary, they have been around in the gothic scene since the end of the second half of the 80s. Back then they were a really promising gothic rock act from Germany and as the years started passing the guitars started becoming heavier and more powerful with the band keeping the essence of their gothic rock aesthetic, but tending to sound a bit more metallic, heavier, something obvious in the compositions of their latest albums.

Two years after their really good previous work, "Pray", Secret Discovery returned with another very good album, "Alternate", and all the elements someone would expect from them are present. Everything's here, the gothic rock approach of the compositions in terms of song-writing and interpretation, the more modern touch of the production that makes the album sound more nowadays rather than 80s gothic rock, the heavy distortion of the guitars that makes its appearance enough times so as to make the album metal enough and some electronic elements, a necessary "evil" for the modern gothic rock/metal scene.

"Alternate's" lyrics are either in German of English, depending on the song, but somehow I tend to prefer the German ones because of the singer's accent, he interprets them in the most appropriate way making them sound emotional, touching and very pleasing to the ear; you might not understand them in case you don't know German, but they will satisfy your sound pleasures, definitely! The compositions of the album vary from beautiful gothic rock a bit heavy-driven ballads that will touch you deeply to heavier and more upbeat gothic rock/metal compositions with the heavy riffing, the groovy rhythm section, the gothic rock chords and the expressive vocals forming a sounding utopia of fabulous tunes to haunt in beauty and melancholy your nighttime. An always strong addition if used in a good way is the keyboard/piano passages and the electro FX and sounds that make the overall atmosphere more affected and definitely more emotional and fragile and Secret Discovery succeed in this sector as well! Apart from the instrumentation of the compositions the other strong part of the band is the singer's interpretation, his deep vocals that turn to softer ones while singing are definitely the ideal thing to complete the quintessence of Secret Discovery, lending that beautiful sense that is required for a composition of this specific genre to sound even more beautiful and, in the end, complete and secure.

As for the highlights, as you can see the album consists of ten compositions only, so the wisest decision is to press the play button and lose yourself in the soundscapes of "Alternate", the whole album is a little sparkling diamond that craves to be found and worshipped, so start the searching process as soon as you end reading this review.

If you want some pure gothic rock/metal music and leave behind all the lies that you're leaving in about what is gothic music then you should definitely try out Secret Discovery's "Alternate" and afterwards start searching their whole discography, don't miss one of the best gothic releases of 2006 so far.





Written on 21.04.2006 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind."



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