A review of As The Reasons Die by Bella Morte.

Bella Morte - As the Reasons Die

Metropolis Records

 

 

The Charlottesville, Virginia act Bella Morte, founded in 1996, continues their moody exploration of the introspective with their fifth full length release As the Reasons Die. Comprised of the new wave, synth-pop, punk and darkwave contributions that we have come to expect from Bella Morte there is an edgier guitar layer to most of the tracks that gives their songs a little more flesh without turning into a complete KMFDM-like grind-fest. There is even a hint of Emo on tracks like "Forever Grey" and "Last Days".

Never allowing themselves to be pigeon-holed, they exhibit a wonderfully sensitive undercarriage on "If Tonight", a haunting ballad that features strains of guitar and piano accompanied by the sultry backing vocals of Lauren Hoffman (Lilith Fair, Homicide: Life on the Street, and the film Palmetto) The characters whose inability to cope with love’s loss an unforgettable treat. Hoffman also contributed harmonies to song about a character with a fierce resolve to recover in "Another Way" and in the resigned citizenry of a "A Dying World".

Jessie Taylor, who may or may not be a porn star, contributed female vocal samples on "Awake", a caffeinated jolt of industrial rock and EBM rage.

As the Reasons Die is a rewarding first person visceral trip down a path of personal pain, hope, and recovery. Bella Morte has the remarkable ability to explore a subject that has been done to death and find the quirky stories we haven’t heard a thousand times, presenting them without a trace of pretension.

 

See also  Die Warzau and New Order

Bella Morte official site:  http://www.bellamorte.com

Metropolis Records: http://www.metropolis-records.com