Fatum Aeternum – Singing Songs Of Desperation

Fatum Aeternum
Singings Songs Of Desperation
May 3, 2020
22:49

I immediately think of Israel as Ophanded Land. Or in the Oriental Pop section, the singer Ofra Haza (including the chart hit “Im Nin’alu”, with The Sisters of Mercy the hit “Temple of Love”). But the country has more to offer, as recently demonstrated by Fatum Aeternum. The music of this rock / metal project combines influences from different genres, with a dark romantic atmosphere predominating. The history of the project goes back to 2006. During this time two single, two albums and three EP’s were released. And finally, the EP “Singing Songs Of Desperation”.

Two minutes intro for nearly 22 minute of playing time? Sounds a bit oversized. But “Depression” is more of a short song that leads to the actual EP. “Prepare For War” has a slightly folky touch thanks to the violin playing by “Evelyn Shor Gershin”. The changing vocals of the couple Evelyn and Steve Gershin are characteristic of the style. But the usual “Beauty and the Beast” cannot be heard here. Both voices harmonize well with each other. That continues with “N.I.F.” further on. Here the guitars sound a bit harder and a slight progressive list is heard. In “Chemicals Of Loneliness” the two sing partly in lower pitches. This melodic song is also my personal favorite on the EP. With “Would” the Israelis are again very hectic, as if they wanted to pack all musical styles into one song. And the bouncer “Toy” tries to focus on vocal harmonies in addition to the bass line.

I must confess. I am a bit perplexed. OK, the music is very pleasing for long stretches. But somehow the songs sound a bit overloaded. Fatum Aeternum cannot really be assigned to any genre. A little folk, a little dark rock, a little gothic. But nothing really right. It’s actually astonishing that the band hasn’t found a clear line after so many years. Thanks to help points for some passages that sound very pleasant and also for the existing joy of playing, the rating is in the slightly positive range.

Fatum Aeternum – Would (Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/lzRZYBV13y8

Lineup:

Steve Gershin – Bass, Percussion, Vocal
Evelyn Shor Gershin – Violin, Vocal
Alex Zvulun – Guitar
Dror Goldstein – Drums

Track list:

• Depression
• Prepare For War
• N.I.F.
• Chemicals Of Loneliness
• Would
• Toy