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