One of the oldest Rock’n’Roll wisdoms say: the third album decides about a band’s career. Is it good, a bigger career might follow, if not, the musicians better get a job to finance their hobby. Interestingly this rule only refers to the financial success of the album; in the quality of the music none is interested in the music industry. What luck that your much valued online mag only focuses on this aspect…
Under this perspective I just can hope that half-renewed BLOODFLOWERZ (new guitarist and bass-man) have good jobs, then Dark Love Poems is everything than a bad album but on the other hand not the crusher that stands out of the masses of monthly releases. The main problem is surely the lack of a distinctive identity. BLOODFLOWERZ in fact make a bit harder (alternative)Rock with some Gothic splashes but it’s nothing special at all. Here, mostly the singing comes into play, because this “instrument” is the one the listener remembers first (except some extreme directions). Female singer Kirsten Zahn pushes herself strongly and pulls out all the stops, but her emotions don’t reach me. As for me it is not enough to produce some short-winded gasped shrieks as at the end of Damaged Promises or some intended disharmonic tunes (especially in the refrains).
From what I got offered on Dark Love Poems I like most Anthem For A Stranger that got created with the collaboration of Schandmaul-musician Birgit Muggenthaler. Here the stylistic scope gets finally broke through; melodies are more driving and just leave a better impression. Most of the other songs sound sucked off latest with the third run and get boring like Healing Hearts or Queen Of The Freakshow. With Sajidas’ Song and Last Dance BLOODFLOWERZ at least dispose of possible single hits, although I don’t like their must-be-stadium-rock-feeling.
Summed up it’s enough for 6 points but probably not enough for an international career as hinted at in the info-sheet…