Chaotic Critiques

Female-fronted gothic rock with some definite commercial appeal, even bordering on pop. A lush production provides the context for the music, which hits upon the distinctive rhythms and jangling guitars used by bands like Siousxie and the Banshees, Claire Voyant, and Stone 588, and beefs it up with a more direct AOR approach that I'm quite certain most radio stations would find quite palatable. Sabrina's rich vocal harmonies convey the inner pain and emotional turmoil that gothic music invariably relishes in, although putting a decidedly radio-friendly spin on it. While most of the music is quite upbeat, songs like "Without a Trace" prove that Sabrina's songwriting is not merely goth rock on happy pills; its weighty rhythms and darker atmospheres showing a slightly different side to the band. One of the strongest aspects of this album is that the band, and particularly the vocalist, manage to communicate gothic emotionalism without falling into the trap of overdramatizing every moment - that is the area where 99% of the gothic rock bands slip up, despite the otherwise brilliant nature of their musicianship and songwriting. But Sabrina manages to circumvent that pitfall, perhaps explainable by her increased focus on unabashedly radio-friendly pop harmonies, which provides her with a sense of balance and restraint that works in her favor. While I cannot say that Euphoria was entirely up my alley, this remains very good for what it is, and fairly original in approach, if only for the fact that Sabrina manages to synthesize gothic rock and pop music without completing butchering both.