Album Review: Bow Ever Down - Let It Burn
First of all.. If that isn't one of the coolest album covers I have ever seen then I don't know what is! It is such a refreshing change to have an album full of female vocals to come out of the industrial world and I always get excited when discovering new vocalists that I haven't heard before. Kimberly's voice dances a perfect balance between raw and aggressive emotion with soothing and uplifting melody in and out of each track. In fact she VERY much reminds me of Emilie Autumn in vocal style making for a unique and fantastical twist to industrial / Gothic styled synthpop that I thoroughly enjoy.
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Bow Ever Down was started in 1998 by singer song writer Kimberly Kornmeier.
Bow Ever Down has played some great clubs including Dracula's Ball at club shampoo in Philly, the Trocadero Theatre in Philly, and CBGB in N.Y.
Bow Ever Down also has performed with some great national acts including The Cruxshadows and Iris. As of 2021 Kimberly has joined forced with John Ruszin III from Carfax Abbey.
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Review
An instant classic of a gothic ballad opens up the album with the title track 'Let It Burn' with a damn catchy beat and melancholy touched vocals to the synthetic audio candy. It feels like a song you've heard before on a darkwave dancefloor and danced to a dozen times in a really nostalgic way.
It's like Bow Ever Down have really zoned in on the sections of sound that makes Goth music so touching and relatable but most importantly, enjoyable. 'Cold machine' brings in more of a synthwave journey feel to the sound next. The closing out section is full of power in a similar fashion to the way Bonnie Tyler would belt out some incredible tunes.
We are treated to a a head-first dive in to some fantastic sounds as we open up to 'Shed My Skin'. Not only that but there are some aggrotech style vocals thrown in to the mix throughout which makes me a very happy electro-head indeed.
We all know that I'm a fan of media samples in tracks so to have The Crow's quote of "Victims, aren't we all?" slipped in there, damn sure got my attention! This is a B movie style track with wobbling audio and spooky Theremin like waves and once again touched off with some nice scream distortion vocals!
'Burn You Alive' has a lot of power to it and has that dance factor to really make it stand out. It has all the best elements of alternative music wrapped up in to three and a half minutes of dark clubbing bliss.
To have have an Assemblage 23 remix on the album says a lot about about the artists talents, and so they have remixed 'Cold Machine' in to a great addition of unexpected sound to the album. This being one of several remixes on the album.
'Shed my skin' (MissSuicide remix) is a truly, tantalisingly delicious treat to the senses as it brings in far more of a cybergothic rave edge out of nowhere and I cannot state how much I LOVE this particular track. Amazing stuff. Their remix of 'Glass Doll' and the 'Let it Burn' (Stahlschlag Remix) follow a similar heavy dance themed formulae.
Finishing off the album we have 'Glass Doll (new version)' which is also a brilliant rendition of the track even without the remix that reminds me of 80's romantic pop with that juicy electronic edge to it all.
Tracklist
Let It Burn
Cold Machine
Born Into Darkness
Shed My Skin (feat. Silence in Machine)
Not your Victim (feat. Silence in Machine)
Burn you Alive
Burn them to Ashes
Cold Machine (Assemblage 23 remix)
Shed my skin (MissSuicide remix)
Glass Doll (MissSuicide remix)
Burn you Alive (Replicant RME remix)
Not your Victim (remix by John Ruszin III)
Let it Burn (Stahlschlag Remix)
Burn Them to Ashes (Silence in Machine Remix)
Not Your Victim (feat. Adian Caine forever haunted Remix)
Glass Doll (new version)
Conclusion
When Kimberley asked me to take a look at her music I was stunned to find a jewel of an album that had been hidden to me before. A modern Goth piece of emotive art that feels as though no two listeners would ever have the same experience or relatability to the tracks in which it contains, making for a truly unique and interesting take on modern Goth music which still clearly respects the inspirations of the past. Bow Ever Down have produced one of the finest and freshest albums that I have listened to this year. 'Let It Burn' has a beautiful core to its flame, even though there are some slightly rough edges to those flames they still burn beautiful and strong. A remarkable album all round.
Scores
Technicality: 7 /10
Dance factor: 7 /10
Energy: 7 /10
Vocals/Samples: 8 /10
Re-play value: 9 /10
Overall score: 7.6 / 10
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