(05 April 2003) The latest offering from Finland's atmospheric metal group Lullacry entitled Crucify My Heart (Century Media Records (USA) 8191-2, 2003) is a glorious eleven track collection of accessible soon to be fan favourites. Visitors will find their music equally powerful and rich as other metal-oriented groups reviewed at Musical Discoveries but defy comparison. Learn more about the band at their website.

After their Sweet Desire debut in 1999, the Helsinki quintet garnered well-deserved worldwide attention with their sophomore album Be My God, released in 2001. In the spring of 2002, Lullacry saw the departure of their then-vocalist Tanya due to musical differences, an event that many saw as a threat to the future of the band. However, the group seized the opportunity and quickly forged ahead, and after numerous female hopefuls auditioned, they secured a perfect replacement. The new siren came by the name of Tanja, ironically sharing the same name as her predecessor, albeit with a slightly different spelling. Tanja showed fire and passion in her vocal approach, traits that will most assuredly take Lullacry to the next level in their career. Read ourexclusive interview with Tanja.

Lullacry's material is certainly metal-edged--powerful guitars carry the arrangements but never overly dominate Tanja's soaring vocal work. Unlike Within Temptation (review), Nightwish (review) or After Forever (review), whose music shares heavy metal with operatic vocals, Lullacry's material is more pop-oriented in Tanja's equally professional approach to the task. The music is at times atmospheric and melodic and it balances rock tunes with the more tender metal-influenced ballads. The tracks have hooking choruses and after repeated plays listeners are certain to be heard singing along.

In addition to the stunning title track, further standouts include the dramatic rocker "Every Single Day, the gentler "Unchain" and the accessible "Nothing To Lose." The anthemic textures of "Over Me" and "Better Days" demonstrate the band's tremendous power. While listeners will hear solo vocal work in some of the tracks, the often multi-layered arrangements work well with the band's heavier guitar work. Keyboards add texture to the studio work but are absent in the band's live performances.

Lullacry's third album, Crucify My Heart, easily demonstrates that they are indeed up to the task of not only outdoing the musical quality of their earlier releases, but also opening new doors towards a more crossover and alternative audience. Read further reviews, listen to soundbites and order Lullacry's Crucify My Heart album at amazon.comhere. Clearly worth a trans-Atlantic journey, Crucify My Heart is a must listen!