Tiamat: The Scarred People

Lords of darkness return with a grand gothic symphony

By Natasha Scharf
( Metal Hammer )
published

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Tiamat have alternated between black metal and goth like a pentagram-emblazoned yo-yo since their inception. The only true constant has been their uncanny knack for creating top tunes with über-dark melodies.

But now it’s time for another new album, the big question is: which side of the fence is it on? It’s been four years since the critically acclaimed Amanethes saw them retrace their extreme metal roots but now with another lineup change and label, Tiamat turned back to their other side.

The church bells and organs that ricochet through the title track spread lashings of delicious darkness across the 11 new and rather splendid songs on here; frontman Johan Edlund even alternates between his clean vocals and a baritone that’s just shy of Peter Steele’s gravelly depths. From powerful ballads to sweeping 70s rock influences, their 10th album is a cross between the gothic years of Paradise Lost and Type O Negative.

The Scarred People may not appeal to fans of Tiamat’s more extreme sounds but it is goth as fuck.

Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.