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Suicidal Romance was one of those bands which did not use to be treated seriously. Enjoyable melodies, pretty good electronic arrangements and soft female vocal – all of this in the shadow of charismatic leader, who has made his private problems pivotal for band’s work. After releasing their debut album – Love beyond reach – the band was labelled as Baltic Blutengel, which suited then course of action of the vocalist Ivanov. Next album actually strengthened the position of Suicidal Romance as the follower of German Blutengel. Believe me or not but the third album made the earth tremble. As it is said: third time lucky...
To begin with: 'Love will have her revenge'. Airy, romantic intro attracts and shocks those for whom Suicidal Romance sound is not strange. The following two tracks may be painful for the fans of older, slightly sloppy compositions. 'Whisper Goodbye' is a wonderfully designed hit in which the sweetness of Victoria Seimar’s singing is joined with aggressive beat and harsh, so far infrequent, Ivanov’s vocal. Also phenomenal 'Slave/Slave' is held in equally powerful electronic shivering so that the next 'Hold me' seems to be rather poor in comparison to it. After energising and really fresh intro the album clearly slows down and turns into former melodramatic sound. Fortunately only for about 5 minutes. Trance ecstasy comes back in short 'Don’t go' and from this track on the album keeps this tempo (and level) till the end. Technically mastered 'Ecstatic' (guest: Felix Marc!) is a pure delight after which a listener is hit by three aggressive tracks full of vibrating and rich beats. Ivanov sounds here more like Nero Bellum (Psyclone Nine) and the compositions are linked with old, covered with dust image of Suicidal Romance only by Victoria’s voice in the background (Forever as one). The most shining pearl is left for the end. Half-melancholic, hypnotising 'Behind closed curtains' constitutes the final farewell with sloppy label. It is a step towards dark, more involved sound. It’s a brave step and hopefully equally premeditated.
'Memories Behind Closed Curtains' surprises and is a good forecast for the future. It does not evoke any longing for the sound of earlier releases – well, a few remnants of it irritate and discourage. New Suicidal Romance is a promising project which can be placed somewhere between dark, trance fantasy and female delicacy. The attempt to combine these spheres was successful and provided Ivanov with new possibilities. The project is still in testing phase – it is not free from mistakes (the worst sin: lively dance moments). I hope for the next album to be equally fresh and even more involved – I would love to be surprised again. I recommend it to those who weren’t convinced by old Suicidal Romance. Baltic Blutengel evidently belongs to the past!

Tracklist:

01. Love will have her revenge
02. Whisper goodbye
03. Slave/Slave feat. Pete Crane (of Shiv-R)
04. Hold me
05. Don’t go
06. Ecstatic feat. Felix Marc (of Diorama/Frozen Plasma)
07. One love
08. Forever as one
09. Amour amor feat. VVA
10. Behind closed curtains

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