A Review of the Album Called Vol. 4 by the Gothic Rock Band Lullacry Featuring the Vocals of the Beautiful Tanja Lainio

1. Perfect Tonight
2. Love, Lust, Desire
3. Fire Within
4. Stranger in You
5. Heart Shaped Scars
6. Soul in Half
7. Killing Time
8. I Want You
9. King of Pain
10. Zero

Finnish heavy rock band Lullacry entered the studio following their classic 2003 album called Crucify My Heart and the result is yet another terrific album by them called Vol. 4 (short for Volume 4). It came out in 2005 which is now 15 years ago. Vocalist Tanja Lainio had joined the band in 2002 and once again she shows that she really belonged in the band. The album starts with the heavy, pounding song called Perfect Tonight. There was a song called Alright Tonight on the previous album and there was also a single released for that song. But this one (Perfect Tonight) is about a couple that are perfect for each other. The nights are spent together and they have the time of their lives.

Love, Lust, Desire has loud bass guitar play. It is about someone that forgives their partner for their transgressions and mistakes. They feel that they cannot get by without their partner and they still love them, wanting to be with them. As you can see, love is a topic that is really covered on the album. Stranger in You is a single that was released for this album and it is one of the best songs in the band’s history for sure. I have always absolutely loved this one for the guitar work and Tanja’s amazing, soothing voice. Heart Shaped Scars is a love ballad which is also really good. I know that Cristina Scabbia of the band Lacuna Coil has a great, powerful vocal range but Tanja Lanio deserves consideration as well.

The second half of the album is no less impressive beginning with the atmospheric song called Soul in Half. The song is basically about a person that has been hurt and torn apart by a very destructive relationship. She feels as if her soul has been torn in half. Tanja adds some chanting type of vocals in the song to make it interesting. After the very heavy song Killing Time comes the song called I Want You. It is about someone that feels she ran away from her lover. Every day for her is dark and terrible. She really misses him so much that she wants his love more than ever. She wants to start over and be reunited with him. In life, there is always a second chance for most things if we really believe in ourselves. The song King of Pain is another great rock song. The song has both heavy and soft parts as the song is about a person that causes nothing but grief and pain for the world.

The album Vol. 4 overall is another excellent release from this heavy rock band and there is really nothing bad to say about it. It is produced by famous Finnish producer Anssi Kippo. It has now been over 15 years since the release of Vol. 4 and it still sounds as fresh as it did back then. That is not to say that it is a perfect album in spite of the song Perfect Tonight. Jukka Outinen’s drumming is well rounded so that’s another bonus right there. There is also a big contrast in this album as we have the semi-soft ballad called Heart Shaped Scars. Then there is the song Killing Time which really builds up. Does the album really dip in terms of its quality? You can be the judge of that but as far as a 4^th studio album, Vol. 4 is still pretty darn good, showcasing at least some kind of anger and aggression if there even is any in this album. Even the last song Zero shows some pretty heavy Gothic rock. The song might as well be trying to say that too much power can lead a person to their ruin. Their time can run out on them quite literally. 15 years later, Vol. 4 shows a side of Lullacry that fans probably hadn’t seen to this degree. However, the best album in the history of Lullacry may be either Be My God or Crucify My Heart.