UMUR
"Prey" is the eighth full-length studio album by Swedish metal act Tiamat. The album was released through Century Media Records in October 2003. It´s the successor to "Judas Christ" from 2002 and features the same quartet lineup as the predecessor plus guest female backing vocals by Sonja Brandt.
Stylistically the material on "Prey" are a continuation of the goth rock/metal style of "Judas Christ (2002)". The psychadelic Pink Floyd influences which already decreased greatly on the predecessor are now only present on album closer "The Pentagram", which features a nice mellow psychedelic rock sound and some soaring Gilmourish guitar leads. The remaining tracks range from heavy and hard rocking to mid-paced, slow, and laid back gothic tinged rock/metal. Lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboard player Johan Edlund doesn´t have the most distinct sounding voice, but his delivery is pleasant and suits the music well. The tracks are well composed, relatively catchy, and feature a melancholic atmosphere. It´s not dark and depressive music, but rather a tasteful and melodic melancholic take on goth rock/metal. Similar artists would be contemporary Paradise Lost and maybe Anathema.
"Prey" is packed in a powerful, detailed, and well sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly, and upon conclusion it´s another high quality release by Tiamat. If you enjoyed the last couple of albums this is not to be missed. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.