Lake Of Tears – Masters of Melodic Melancholic Metal
With so many subgenres and styles of rock and metal, it’s easy to find something that resonates with you personally. But it’s also easy to miss out on amazing bands and artists, because there’s so many of them. You might enjoy a certain genre for years, thinking that you know all the great groups, just to one day stumble upon a hidden music gem. And then wonder: “How did I not know about them?”
Lake of Tears is one of these hidden gems. While they do have their fans, they still remain relatively unknown to wider audience. Meanwhile if you like beautiful melodic, dark, melancholic rock and metal – they’re a must-listen.
I discovered them back in the early 2000s when they already had 4 albums released. I remember that Iwas just hanging around in the music store, and the cover of one of their albums caught my eye. I read the names of the songs, and it was enough to make me want to check them out. I’m so happy that I did.
Brief History
Lake of Tears was formed in Sweden in early 1990s. The founding members were: Daniel Brennare, Jonas Eriksson, Mikael Larsson and Johan Oudhuis. The band originally played doom and gothic metal, but quickly developed and explored other musical styles.
For example, their first album Greater Art (1994) had a distinctive doom sound. But their second album Headstones (1995) already saw a shift towards a more melodic and atmospheric style. Third release Crimson Cosmos (1997) once again came with creative changes. It featured new progressive and alternative sound.
After their 1999 album Forever Autumn the band struggled with creative differences, on top of label issues. All that lead to a brief breakup in 2000. But because they were still contractually bound to the label, they had to make one more album. That’s how The Neonai (2002) was created. It was mostly done by Daniel Brennare alone, and heavily used keyboards and electronic equipment.
Lake of Tears reunited in 2003, and released a critically praised album Black Brick Road (2004). Despite lead singer Daniel Brennare’s 2020 diagnosis of chronic leukemia, the band stayed together and released their latest album Ominous in 2021.
For the latest tour dates and news, check out their official website.
The Band’s Musical Style
As I’ve mentioned Lake of Tears’ music changed over the years. From album to album they mixed different styles like doom, gothic metal, psychedelic and progressive rock. They even experimented with electronics. But with all these changes the band always focused on melodic basis in their music.
Their songs often have a unique atmospheric vibe of melancholy and sadness. But not in a depressing way. It’s more of an introspective, meditative vibe. This also doesn’t mean that all their songs are slow-paced. Don’t worry, there are enough of up-beat, high energy banger tracks.
I’ve listened to all their albums, and I can confidently state that Lake of Tears are masters of beautiful melodies. It doesn’t matter if the song has an overall heavier or lighter sound, the melody is still there, and it plays a vital role in the composition. The band also found creative ways to add acoustics and keyboards in some of their most recognizable hits.
Lake Of Tears Best Songs
Talking about their biggest hits, I’ve compiled a list of the band’s TOP 20 Greatest songs. These are the hits I often add to my playlists and have on repeats. And if you’ve seen my other posts and compilations, you might have noticed that I usually limit them to 10-15 songs. But with Lake of Tears I simply could not leave out certain awesome songs, so instead I ended up with 20 hits 😎. Enjoy!
TOP 20 Songs by Lake Of Tears:
- Raven Land
- Dreamdemons
- Headstones
- Burn Fire Burn
- Sweetwater
- To Die Is to Wake
- So Fell Autumn Rain
- Forever Autumn
- The Homecoming
- Come Night I Reign
- To Blossom Blue
- Can Die No More
- The Shadowshires
- Black Brick Road
- Making Evenings
- Dystopia
- Planet of the Penguins
- Head on Phantom
- Island Earth
- Behind the Green Door
Listen to these songs in my Spotify playlist:
Alternatively you can play them via YouTube:
Summary
Hopefully my article will help you discover this excellent band and their music. If you like the TOP 20 Hits, I recommend going through their entire discography. It is excellent through and through.
