Murder Of My Sweet - Bye Bye Lullaby (CD Review)

Since the release of their debut album "Divanity" in January 2010, and the
single that pre-ceded it in 2009 (“Bleed Me Dry” - which reached No. 14 in the
Swedish National Singles Charts), female-fronted rock/metal band
THE MURDER OF MY SWEET have become amongst the biggest hopes on
the European scene. Their individual, easily recognizable and high value sound,
has touched the lives of many fans and with its mix of modern, groovy, hard
rock, beautiful melodies, and progressive, cinematic flair. The band, led by
singer Angelica Rylin, has secured a remarkable fan base already, far from the
shores of Stockholm, where the band was formed in 2007; the name inspired
by the 1944 ‘film-noir’ “Murder, My Sweet”.
Now though it’s time to confirm and expand on the success of "Divanity" -
which, given the quality of the new album, "Bye Bye Lullaby" should be a
formality.
THE MURDER OF MY SWEET have combined all their strengths and improved
in every department. Rylin’s passionate vocal performance breaths new soul
into every song, and all tracks on "Bye Bye Lullaby" have their individual
strength meaning that it’s somewhat difficult to highlight individual songs
especially. With 13 tracks, the whole spectrum and repertoire of this wonderful
band can be celebrated: "Idolize" and "Kind Of Lousy" are just two tracks whose
melodies you won’t get out of the head for weeks, but "I Dare You" stands out
too, with its hypnotic groove. The ballad "Meant To Last Forever" is pure
emotion, and with the completion of 6-minute epic "Phantom Pain" the band
delivers the perfect successor to their song "Death Of A Movie Star" (such an
important part of the "Divanity" album). "Unbreakable" (the first single) will be
accompanied by a video clip in late April.
Singer Angelica remembers the creative process:
”Bye Bye Lullaby” has been a long time coming. We wrote nearly enough songs
for two full albums and had to carefully choose these thirteen to truly represent
the new, updated The Murder Of My Sweet. This album includes performances
from close friends Jesper Stromblad (who you all know from In Flames), Fredrik
Akesson (from Opeth) and Peter Wichers (from Soilwork), so it’s a really brave
record. The major difference for me is the variation in the songs; we’ve taken
them down a darker path, as well as on a more commercial path. It’s
unorthodox maybe, but since there are so many female fronted bands out
there, we felt that this combination had never been tried before, and would be
breaking new ground, which is way more fun.”
Composer and drummer Daniel Flores adds:
“Who doesn’t like huge variety and impact created with sound? Small fragments
of sonic whispering, say mixed with soulful performances? With this new lineup,
my imagination had no limits and you will surely be hearing an even bigger
cinematic soundscape than you all grew to love on “Divanity”!”
The new lineup, to which Daniel refers, now includes, alongside himself and
singer Angelica, new guitarist Christopher Vetter and new bassist Teddy
Westlund.

Rating 7/10