I’ve never heard of this band from Sweden before, but when a friend told me they’ve supported After Forever several times I already thought what it would be. Now I got my hands on their new record Pristine In Bondage, and I’ll try to give you my impression about this new album. As I’ve never heard anything of this band before, so I don’t know if it’s a prolonging of their previous style or if it’s something new. Anyways, here it goes. Amaran start their album with Atropine, a song that starts annoyingly with an undermixed playing band, but soon the volume is cranked up and then the music comes to it’s full right. All with all the guitar riffs sound very technical and the drums are also good on the front. The female vocals are a bit annoying as she doesn’t reach the full height of her voice. It’s not sounding bad though, and the resemblance with After Forever is enormous. The song could just be a song from this Dutch gothic/metal act. Next song Revolution Without Arms is a more uptempo song with nice breaks and eerie guitar solo’s. The vocals are a bit stronger now, and hold up against the instrumental violence of the other band members. Coming Home is not a song which I liked most, however there is a cool bass part somewhere near the end f the song, which is perfectly supported by the vocalist. Inflict is again a song that impressed me because the tempo is a bit laid back and the riffs are quite heavy and low. The beat is good and this is a song that will get many heads shaken when playing live. The next song is a bit ballad like because of the way it’s built up. Without Stains is slow and with very precision like vocals. Then it’s time for Katharsis, which is a very heavy song with again those nice guitar solo’s. There was something else in this song though, and I didn’t think I would hear it on this album, but it’s clear that no gothic/metal act can go without it. Yes my ladies and gentlemen, it’s the unavoiding grunting vocals, standard on every album from a Gothic/Metal act. 24 Pills is the next one, beginning with a simple drum fill, then supported by the band and that voice of Johanna. Next songs are not that noteworthy except for Wraith, which also impressed me. Ok, it’s quite hard to give a judgement for this album as the originality isn’t very high and yes call me a bitch but I would also prefer more songs like Katharsis, with the strong grunts in them. But it’s also a matter of love and hate. It’s the voice of Johanna, you love it, or you hate it and it’s hard to find a way between it. I think I choose for the hating, as the voice began working on my nerves after 4 songs. Her voice is no where in match to Floor Janssen or Helena Iren Michaelsen. About the album, it’s a sturdy metal album and the quality of the music is very high. Track List: 1: Atropine 2: Revolution Without Arms 3: Coming Home 4: Inflict 5: Without Stains 6: Katharsis 7: 24 Pills 8: Wraith 9: Crow Me 10: Primal Nature Line Up: Vocals – Johanna DePierre Guitars – Ronnie Backlund Guitars – Kari Kainulainen Bass – Ronnie Bergerstahl Drums – Robin Bergh