How is it that CLOSTERKELLER can put out such amazing songs like The Mermaid and Two Days on the same album as The Piano and The Ego Game? How is it that although all songs have the same basic feeling and structure Eve & Adam is infinitely better than The Secret Place? What I’m getting at here is that Graphite contains some of CLOSTERKELLER’s best works, but also some of their worst.
The music remained unchanged in this re-release, but that doesn’t mean it’s excellent. CLOSTERKELLER achieves in making an uneasily serene atmosphere with their music, but it’s often ruined with sudden outbursts of joyfulness. Now don’t judge me wrongly, I have nothing against happy music, but when CLOSTERKELLER busts out an orgy of happiness, it sounds like it came straight form Sonny and Cher. Their haunting melodies are beautiful though. Often one instrument plays in the major key and another in minor, or Anja sings in major and the backing instruments are in minor. Even better is when Anja starts changing keys from major to minor mid-sentence or mid-line. This is what makes songs like Graphite and The Mermaid so great.
One of the main reasons CLOSTERKELLER got their status as one of Poland’s best gothic/atmospheric band was because of Anja Orthodox’s vocals. Simply put, they’re fucking amazing. She has excellent range and sings… just purely amazing. Unfortunately, her English isn’t that good. I appreciate the effort of bringing Graphite to the American audiences, but her voice isn’t soothing to listen to when she speaks English. It’s very irritating, and she has a strong accent that I can’t get past. The worst thing is that when Anja comes in, the song focuses solely on her singing. I don’t like to put down a band that makes good music just because of their vocals, but in this case it must be done. Get the Polish version. Anja’s voice is too good to pass, even if you don’t understand Polish.
The bottom line is, get this album. You won’t enjoy the Sonny and Cher-like songs, but the rest of the songs are awesome. And if you can, get it in Polish. It’s a shame to miss out on how beautiful Anja’s vocals can be.

Synopsis
Athe – 75%
Somewhere Inbetween – 73%
The Mermaid – 83%
The Pearl – 83%
The Secret Place – 71%
The Ego Game – 70%
Eve and Adam – 85%
Two Days – 90%
Marble-Enchanted – 78%
The Reign of the Comet – 77%
The Symbol Shatterer – 80%
Love For Money – 75%
The Piano – 72%
Graphite – 86%
Album – 79%

Closterkeller