There is no shortage of women playing loud, aggressive, forceful rock in the 21st century, but the vast majority of them have stayed away from the death metal/black metal field. In Europe, the United States, Canada and Latin America (where death metal/black metal is a small lunatic fringe of rock en español), most death metal/black metal bands (probably around 95 percent) have all-male lineups. But there are some exceptions to that rule, including France's Hypnosis and Italy's Lifend. In fact, female vocalist Sara Moriconi is an integral part of what Lifend does on Inner Scars, which successfully fuses melodic death metal and symphonic black metal with goth rock. Moriconi provides the goth-style clean vocals, while the extreme vocals come from guitarist Alberto Franchi and bassist Roberto Geddo -- extreme vocals that include both black metal's rasp and death metal's deep, guttural growl. Lifend, of course, is hardly the only band with a clean vocals/extreme vocals contrast; that sort of hell/heaven juxtaposition is as much a part of screamo/post-hardcore as it is of melodic death metal and symphonic black metal. But it isn't every day that you hear a death metal/black metal outfit that features a female vocalist who would be appropriate for a goth band, and Inner Scars gives us some idea what might transpire if Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Hecate Enthroned collaborated with Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Diva Destruction. While there are a few parallels between death metal/black metal and goth rock -- both are obsessed with the dark side -- there are also major differences. If death metal is akin to a slasher flick, goth has more in common with the artistic, ultimately romantic horror of #Dark Shadows -- goth, you might say, is more Barnabus Collins than Freddy Krueger, more Angelique Collins than Chuckie. And by successfully bringing the extreme metal and goth worlds together, Lifend makes Inner Scars one of the more intriguing death metal/black metal outings of 2004. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

1		Innerscars
2		Absence
3		Blood-Red-Pain
4		Shattering Assurance
5		In Darkness I Bleed
6		Open Wound
7		Memorie
8		Spiral Dance
9		Congedo