### Lycanthia: Oligarchy

#### 31/05/13 || gk

“Oligarchy” is the second album from this Australian gothic doom band and it has a very 90s flavour to it. The band seems a bit obsessed with early Theatre of Tragedy. The mix of clean, melodic female vocals (done pretty well) with harsh, growled and rasped vocals and loads of violins and keyboards gives it a feel similar to late 90s goth-doom acts like The Sins of Thy Beloved but Lycanthia’s sound is rougher and lacks the over polished sound of those 90s bands. This helps the band as the music slowly grew on me with every listen. I have to say Vanessa Black and Megan Tassekar do a good job with the female vocals and the handling of the violin and keyboards but it’s when the band try to go for the dual vocal approach and mix harsh growls with ethereal clean vocals that it sounds a bit awkward and forced. Overall though, if you like the whole light weight melodic doom with a thick gothic atmosphere then Lycanthia might be a band to check out.

7/10: Way better than I thought it would be.