Originally released in 2011, Memories Behind Closed Curtains is their third album which got mixed and mastered by Jan L. (X-Music Productions). The reissue comes in an extended edition including bonus tracks from the Burning Love / Remember Me EP (actually the first thing I reviewed from them) and great remixes. This new edition also features an all-new front cover design inked by Tomoki Haysaka of Sheerheart in Japan.
The first thing that strikes me is that Dmitry’s voice has become more brutal, more into Suicide Commando and Viktoria’s vocals sound less girlish and more mature, that’s already my conclusion after hearing the intro called Love will have her Revenge. Fun for club lovers comes with Whisper Goodbye (great beats and that typical monster versus the beauty vocal fight). Hold Me goes further on the road, with a more poppy sound, just as Sylver (the vocals and the beats). It’s very catchy and very sexy. Don’t Go is a short one, sounds pretty funny but I’m still wandering why it’s on this record (just for the fun)? Ecstatic (feat. Felix Marc) is a nice poppy and very melancholic track (with a slice of Apoptygma Berzerk). It’s a nice duet with the beautiful voice of Viktoria. Slave/Slave (feat. Pete Crane) is a highlight on this album as for me it’s clear that this is the perfect match! The front man of Shiv-r blends in as if it was all constructed around him! Make sure to give at least this one a chance! They must have recorded it via the web, as Pete actually lives in Australia. One Love sounds harsher, fueled with anger (like Hocico should sound like anno 2016). Forever As One could sound as a ballad or at least as a love song, but with the harsh vocals from Dmitry it sounds differently. Viktoria’s vocals give it a more poppy touch, but again: this is a mix of 2 different worlds. Amour Amore (feat. VVA) sounds a bit like a Dracula story with a French touch with lots of electro and the perfect beats. I like it; once again we get the perfect cooperation! It’s catchy and raw, ready for the dance floors! Behind Closed Curtains has a more floating sound, with some drum’n bass in it and a slice of eclectic sounds. The synths give it a retro touch, almost as if part of Jean Michel Jarre’s oeuvre. The bluesy guitar is not bad either. It’s just a bit strange to hear this kind of song, but that makes it special.
So far the regular album. Now we get the extras, first the regular tracks starting with Burning Love sounds like the title demands. The vocals switch between English and Russian (correct me if needed). As you know they are from Talinn (Estonia) and just have to cross the town to enter Russia. It’s a very catchy song, I really adore it! Remember Me is a soft one (poppy/electro), even Dmitry’s vocals sound softer, clean and Viktoria sounds like an angel.
After this we get the remixes and special versions. The Wormz remix of Burning Love cuts the song 50% shorter. At first you hear some techno/rave sound, after that we get the piano and Viktoria’s lovely vocals but it gets teared down with the rave and the beats. All in all a special version. The Incubate remix of Slave Slave is not bad at all, putting more beats and creating a wider sound. The Diversant13 remix of Remember Me ads or changes the male vocals into a robotic one, the music is better than the original but the tempo could get a lift making it more fitting for the party-time! Studio-X changes Make Me Blind into a raver, with the classical break before throwing a bomb on the dance floor! Gabber-time! Hack, hack, hack! Hé hé, I hope you know what I mean. After the techno/rave attack we get some peace with the beautiful acoustic version of Burning Love. This is simply setting out how good the artists are! It’s a pearl, feel the goosebumps! CeDigest remixes Whisper Goodbye and gives it a touch of the dark side, creating a monstrous sound!
Last track is Deserving our Sadness, indeed a sad song, ending the album in total despair.
It was fun listening back to it, but for me it’s clear that I prefer Dmitry’s clean voice, as the beast in him sounds better with Freakangel, but hey: I had fun and was never bored during the listening sessions! I hope to hear more from Viktoria as I really love her angelic voice!
The great thing is that you can first listen to the band camp here before spending your money and decide for yourself!