Genre: Doom metal
Origin: Serbia
Released: 2006
Website: Tales of Dark
Label: Solitude Productions
Uploaded: 19.03.07

The first album I�ve gotten with a Siberian act (I think), so that alone is interesting, and another thing that instantly draws my attention is that Fragile Monuments is a doom album. I love doom metal, but I rarely get promos of the genre. So does Tales of Dark live up to my hope and expectation? They sure do!
This is quite melodic doom/death where the keyboard sets a saddened emotional atmosphere, enhanced by both male and female vocals. The occasional growls adds aggression, clearing the skies of the rainy clouds gathered by the saddened feeling already established, and pushing it forward towards a desperate tantrum by a utterly depressed human being. Comparisons to My Dying Bride and Draconian can easily be made, but for the first minutes of the second track Mephistorium I think of Lacuna Coil. That comparison fades away as soon as the really doomy music sets in, but it sure has it�s gothic moments as well.
Musically it�s well-written and executed, though not original, which in all fareness is extremely difficult to be. The production is clean and fairly thick and the strong clean male vocals, emphasized by the female ones, gives the powerful growling an even greater impact. This is really great! It�s a bit more melodic than the doom metal I usually listen to, but Tales of Dark has no problems convincing me of their potential. The CD also contains a video to Of Grandiose Fevers and Passion Arcane�, though it�s preferred to listen to this in solitude in a dark room for the depression to really take effect!

Tracklist:
01. Via descendens
02. Mephistorium
03. Of grandiose fevers and passion arcane�
04. Luciferian elegy
05. Towering grief behemoth
06. Serpent wisdom