• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

May 2025

• The Speaker Wars: The Speaker Wars
• Giant: Stand And Deliver
• Sign Of The Wolf: Sign Of The Wolf
• Harem Scarem: Chasing Euphoria
• Cosmic Cathedral: Deep Water
• Beholder: In the Temple of the Tyrant
• Art Nation: The Ascendance
• Laurenne/Louhimo: Falling Through Stars
• Rock Out: Let's Call It Rock N Roll
• The Flower Kings: Love
• Maestrick : Espresso Della Vita: Lunare

March 2025

• W.E.T.: Apex
• Alliance: Before Our Eyes
• Ginevra: Beyond Tomorrow
• Phil X & The Drills:
  Pow! Right In The Kisser
• IQ: Dominion
• Heart Line: Falling Heaven
• Gotthard: Stereo Crush
• Defender: Dying To Live
• Streetlight: Night Vision

February 2025

• Robin McAuley: Soulbound
• Perfect Plan: Heart Of A Lion
• Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
• Mantric Momentum: Alienized
• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
• Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
• Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
• Dream Theater: Parasomnia
• Tyran: Tyran's Oath
• Saber: Lost In Flames

January 2025

• Wildness: Avenger
• The Ferrymen: Iron Will
• Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
• Bonfire: Higher Ground
• The Big Deal: Electrified
• Landfall: Wide Open Sky

December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
• Illusion Force: Halfana
• Powell-Payne: Voilá

[ More Music Reviews ]

Murder of My Sweet: Bye Bye Lullaby

Symphonic Hard Rock/Metal

3.5/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter
AFM Records
by Craig Hartranft,  06.11.2012

Considering the the ongoing proliferation of female-fronted, symphonic rock or metal, bands finding something new to say becomes increasingly difficult. It's like being Elizabeth Taylor's latest husband on wedding night: it's all been said and done before.

Murder of My Sweet: seeing red.

(The) Murder of My Sweet's second effort, Bye Bye Lullaby, varies little from the genre and their path of symphonic rock established on Divanity. The arrangements are lush with Angelica Rylin's strong soaring vocals floating over dynamic synth layers, big percussion, and rather minimalist guitar leads. There's enough rock groove and crafty choruses to be catchy and accessible. This is quite noticeable on Kind of Lousy, Idolize, and the best track, I Dare You. Perhaps the most chilling, goose bump-raising song is the anthem, Meant to Last Forever, where Rylin's vocals simply rule the day.

Otherwise, Murder of My Sweet's Bye Bye Lullaby fits easily in the same realm as anything from Delain, Xandria, or Voices of Destiny, by example. If you like the whole female-fronted symphonic thing, you'll dig this. Recommended.

Murder of My Sweet's Bye Bye Lullaby fits easily in the same realm as anything from Delain, Xandria, or Voices of Destiny, by example. If you like the whole female-fronted symphonic thing, you'll dig this.

Alphabetical Index

Three decades on and still going strong is the iconic progressive rock band, The Flower Kings, founded by veteran multi-instrumentalist and composer Roine Stolt. Since 1994, The Flower Kings have been known ... [ Read More ]