The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Gone
Artist: Entwine
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 7/24/01

Rating: 4 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Unearth (8/2/01):
    Entwine have been making waves overseas for several years now, and Gone is the band's first release here in the States. This five-piece from Finland play Melodic Gothic Metal in a style not dissimilar to acts such as Nightwish and to/die/for. The band's overall sound is almost radio-friendly, with simple, catchy guitar hooks and standard "one-two" drumbeats. The clean vocals of singer Mika Tauriainen are comparable to just about any Radio Rock band here in the US; nothing fancy, just good, solid singing. Soft, atmospheric keyboards give this release an almost ambient sound at times, setting it apart from the standard Rock fare, and the occasional use of piano, violin and acoustic guitar push this release further into the "Goth Metal" arena.

    For pretty much all albums of this genre, it is critical for the band to establish the mood and personality of the album right from the get-go, and keep the listener enraptured in its emotion the whole way through. Entwine waste no time letting the listener know exactly which dark, dreary passages he or she is being led through, and the mood is kept intact from beginning to end. There's enough variety in the music to keep it an interesting journey, and Gone is never a boring listen. The band just catches their black wave and rides it to the end.

    Some of the tracks on Gone sound like slightly juiced-up Mid-Eighties pop power ballads. I can easily envision a song such as "Closer (My Love)", with its romantic lyrics and strong Rock roots, in the Top 40 (minus the creepy keys of course). "Thru The Darkness" is also a super solid Goth Metal tune, made even more special by Miko successfully utilizing different vocal effects throughout the track, ranging from a low, creaky speaking tone to his warm, mid-to-high pitched singing voice. In actuality, there are really just a lot of good ol' fashioned love songs on this album, just with an overall eerie, ominous undertone to each.

    Musically, it all comes together for Entwine on the unreal "Grace" - without a doubt the best song on the album. The grandiose intro, nice violin work, great orchestration, beautiful, soaring female vocals, maudlin acoustic guitar…the effect is utterly extrordinary, and you can feel these musicians' hearts pouring out with each second. The pace of this one is much slower than the other tracks, and that is of great benefit to the song. This is one of the most tear-inducing tracks I've heard in a long while, and I think it's certainly the shining star of the album.

    Though all of the tracks here are good, solid Melodic Goth Metal songs, certain tracks do stand high above the others. The more upbeat, rock'n'roll-ish material here, which accounts for the bulk of the album, is played very well and sounds good, but is far outdone by the slower, dreamier, more emotional moments. This album is a must-buy, even for the strength of "Grace" alone, but I'd like to hear the band focus more on the slow stuff in the future. Still, a great listen.
    4 out of 5

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