A World to Drown In

Denmark's Blazing Eternity don't seem too sure about what they want to be. Having started out as a heavy metal band, the quintet has quickly moved into less aggressive goth rock territory — something that was clearly hinted at on their 2000 debut, but only realized in full on 2003's A World to Drown In. Problem is, it doesn't always work for the better. When they whip out the hard-edged guitars for powerfully atmospheric songs such as "(Don't) Tell the World," and the lengthy title track, the group seems driven and self-assured; but then they waste far too much time on positively dull, one-dimensional ballads. The second track, "To Meet You in Those Dreams," is so relaxed as to be sleep inducing, and even the slightly less comatose "En Nat Bliver Det Sommer" is little more than a slower, shameless remake of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven." Singers Peter Mesnickow and Morten Lybecker both possess mellow, musical tones that unfortunately vary from a gentle caress to a boring drone, and their pseudo-romantic lyrics are more often puerile than inspiring — particularly on the yawn-fest "Stars in July." The album's second to last track, the minor chorded "Monument" offers some measure of atonement, conveying a genuinely chilling, depressive mood on its way to a forceful climax. All in all, A World to Drown In is a mixed bag from a band that one feels can do better.