On Rituals and Correspondence In Constructed Realities

Album Review

"A goth metal steamroller — driven by singer Anna Pienimaki — that levels anything that stands in its way" would be a fitting description of Pienimaki's band, Cantata Sangui, and their 2009 offering, On Rituals and Correspondence. The Finnish quintet specializes in a heavy-duty sound that veers quite a bit into goth metal territory — which can be directly attributed to the inclusion of keyboards and samples into its sound — while Pienimaki's vocals (and vocal melodies) are quite comparable to Evanescence's Amy Lee. But unlike Evanescence, Cantata Sangui are much more proud to display their "metal side," as evidenced by such standouts as "We'll Have It on Us" and "Exaltata," while "For the Forgotten One" and "Sidecast" show off the band's "sensitive side." Throughout On Rituals and Correspondence, goth, metal, and melody all do an equal amount of battle throughout.