Grave Flowers

Grave Flowers’ second official album, and first for Firebox, is melancholy but catchy, with a lilt that falls somewhere between My Dying Bride and Lake of Tears. More goth than doom, Grave Flowers’ lyrics abound in melodramatic, often late-night misery but musically, Incarcerated Sorrows is not nearly so anguished. That anomaly is one of the record’s weakest points, seemingly more naïve than tongue-in-cheek. Though occasionally nearing the repetitive simplicity that is sometimes their chosen genre’s downfall, Grave Flowers’ arrangements tend to include enough well-placed guitar solos, contrasting breaks or vocal variations to undermine predictability. In the end, things come out on the plus side — despite the negativity dripping from almost every word.