Beautifully haunting, mesmerizing, enchanting,  enveloping…these are what come to mind when listening to the latest release from Dutch symphonic gothic metal band Blackbriar. “A Thousand Little Deaths” was released in August and has remained in my regular listening rotation since then. I fondly remember first discovering Blackbriar, which wasn’t all that long ago. Battle Beast toured North America in Spring 2024, and Blackbriar was the opening support for that tour. I honestly did not expect to get into them since they didn’t seem to fit my typical go to listening, but after giving their previous release, “A Dark Euphony,” a listen, I was completely hooked. The haunting atmosphere and melodies combined with the heavy feel, all stitched together by a gothic fairytale theme and the incredible vocals from Zora, drew me in an unexpected way. Their live set further imprinted their excellence in my brain, and they became a regular revisit for me.

I have been excited for “ATLD” and was curious how the band would continue to evolve. The gothic fairytale tapestry is very interwoven with the music, setting a cinematic atmosphere that wouldn’t feel out of place seeing Wednesday or the characters from Grimm making an appearance. The term siren gets overused a lot, but Zora IS a siren, effortlessly delivering vocals that, to revisit my first thoughts in this review, are haunting, mesmerizing, enchanting, and enveloping. And then to top it off, the technical proficiency she displays is stratospheric. She can seemingly do anything with her voice that she wants, and seeing her pull it off just as effortlessly live is one of the more impressive things I have witnessed in live music. The guitars and bass do a great job balancing the silky melodic sections with bombastic heft, and the orchestration is excellent, providing a true cinematic feel. The drums are never showy, but they do an incredible job matching the current mood of the song and keeping everything gelled. The result is a fabulous experience that improves listen after listen, one that I easily get lost in.

“Bluebeard’s Chamber” starts with a somber piano and strings intro before launching into full gothic symphonic mode, then makes way for Zora to take front and center. Blackbriar makes great use of dynamic contrast, and they show this early when everything drops out other than Zora’s haunting vocals for the first time through the chorus, before building back up again. Post the second chorus, they reprise the somber intro, but this time as a vehicle for Zora, with a final build to the end. It is a fabulous opening track and really sets the stage for the rest of the album.

“The Hermit and the Lover” feels like a fairytale come to life off the pages into musical form, with its steady narrative. This song shows how a Blackbriar song can evolve its layers, progressing in heaviness while also utilizing Zora’s voice as another instrument. “The Fossilized Widow” is big and cinematic while also being hauntingly gothic, with a chunky underbelly supporting an array of impressive orchestration, dynamic swells, and Zora’s unbelievable voice. “My Lonely Crusade” is another great example of a massive start, then letting the song drop out and slowly build to a massive chorus with a fabulous memorable melody. The song keeps its big feel and injects some creepiness as well as a nice guitar solo, eventually winding down to a somber finish.

“Floriography” is one of my favorite tracks, starting with an ethereal dreamlike version of the chorus before heading into a driving rhythm, with verse leading to chorus feeling larger than life. The back and forth feel between the verses and chorus really make the song feel alive, and all the instruments together create an amazing wall of sound and melody that envelopes as you listen, before letting you off somberly as the band is prone to do.

“The Catastrophe That Is Us” is gorgeous and haunting from the outset, and it is a clinic in developing and building musical layers that complement and reinforce, creating a living breathing composition. The chorus is phenomenal and is another showcase for Zora’s versatility. “A Last Sigh of Bliss” has one of the heaviest feels on the album, with chunky driving riffs and massive symphonics to go with the eerie melodies. “Green Light Across the Bay” continues the heavier feel while allowing Zora to shine. 

“I Buried Us” has become quite personal for me due to the timing of hearing it with events that happened in my own life. The melodies and story-driven lyrics bring chills, and the song is so intelligent with balancing dynamics and heft. The song is bombastic and cinematic, and Zora demonstrates why she is such a top tier vocalist. This is easily one of my favorite Blackbriar songs ever. The album closes with “Harpy,” which also has a massive symphonic feel, a perfect ending for an amazing album.

This album exceeded my expectations and is one I cannot stop listening to. It comes highly recommended and will likely be different than most things in your rotation. It certainly is for me, and I love it!

Original Instagram review Part 1
Original Instagram review Part 2
Original Instagram review Part 3