Abandoning their
doom
and
death metal
affectations almost completely (and appropriately, for that matter),
Lake of Tears
take a more traditional
metal
approach on
"Headstones."
Released on
Black Mark
just a year after their debut for the label, this sophomore outing is a noticeable improvement upon
Greater Art
. The songwriting and recording is tighter, and in what would become a long-term trend for the group, the guttural chants of their prior release are refined, as more melodic vocals are used to create greater emphasis on repeating memorable choruses. This traditional, almost
Metallica
-like vocal delivery combined with more aggressive guitar work is an improvement for
.
"Dreamdemons"
is perhaps the best song on
Headstones
, but the material is pretty consistent throughout the recording. Far from being a must-have '90s
offering,
is a decent release from a group experiencing a much-needed musical evolution. ~ Vincent Jeffries