Thine — In Therapy
I'm not sure if a band like Thine fits on the Peaceville roster. In the last few years the label signed a couple of bands outside and beyond the metal spectrum and Thine is one of them. But at the moment Peaceville still is a synonym for doom-metal and My Dying Bride. It's a good thing a label decides to develop into a broader direction, but at least give Thine and Beyond Dawn some more attention (and don't delay their releases all the time).
Now Thine does have it's roots in metal, but the majority of songs on In Therapy is just firm dark rock. They have influences from recent Anathema, Misery Loves Co, Joy Division, Katatonia and some new wave and brit pop. In Therapy might not be the most original release ever, but that doesn't matter because the band wrote some really decent songs. The atmosphere on the album is pretty gloomy, not very uplifting, and also melancholic at times. The vocals aren't dazzeling, but Alan does have a very nice voice which fits the songs perfectly. And the album is packed with great songs, for instance: Best Kept Secret, Feel, In Therapy, Homewrecker Extraordinaire, Never Learn, Contact Point, In Red Rooms, Last Better Day and The Bar. Considering that this is almost the complete tracklist I can say they put a lot of effort in In Therapy.
Oddly, the guy with the fat lip staring at you on the sleeve fits the album atmosphere perfectly. To bad they put it in a cheap digipak without a booklet, the additional artwork on their website is pretty cool. I really get the feeling Thine should get some more promotion or something. In Therapy was a welcome suprise when I bought it last year and I'm suprised they didn't get more coverage in magazines and on other websites. So check out this album of great melancholic rock music. Nothing extraodinairy, but still good enough to pick up.