The songs lack any real hooks or excitement to bring me back.

German theatre enthusiasts Aeternitas are rather fond of themes. They've previously produced concept albums and even a full-blown Gothic musical. With 'House Of Usher' they have stayed with the Gothic theme and based the whole endeavour around Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Fall Of The House Of Usher', so expect plenty of laughs (not)! After listening to it, I get the feeling that these jolly Germans take things rather seriously so it was with a serious head I tried to enjoy this, their fourth full-length release.

Aeternitas are another modern Symphonic Metal band which to me conjures up complex songs aided by interesting string arrangements and soaring vocals – you know the sort of thing. '...Usher' features none of these things, unfortunately. It's not a bad album but neither is it a good one. Each song plods past pleasantly yet rarely leaves a lasting impression on the listener.

Alma Mathar has a nice voice but never seems to inject much real power or passion into the proceedings. Another problem is the fact that the band are branded as "Symphonic Metal" because this is actually a bog-standard Metal album with pretty drowned out keyboards, and about as much "Symphony" as a Shakin' Stevens album. It's quite dramatic, and might even get a claw on the "epic" Metal bandwagon, but Nightwish this ain't.

'House Of Usher' is just one of those albums that is so average I know I'll never listen to it again. I don't hate the music, and there's some nice guitar throughout, but the songs lack any real hooks or excitement to bring me back.

Alan Holloway