However, in due time, they would need a new singer, and they would find one in Vonnie King (no relation to Jeff King), who was as prolific a musician as her fellow bandmates in her own right. A member of the Motown group R-Angels, Vonnie had an impressive resume under her belt as well with her former band, everything from having a video played on MTV to a song in a movie soundtrack. From there, they would re-record their first album with Vonnie’s vocals, as a sort of demo. With Jeff King as the main songwriter, and his wife Laura working from the sidelines as the band’s lyricist, it appeared that Fountain of Tears was on their way to moving towards the future and making an album of new material with their soulful new vocalist. The Pennsylvania-based band would meet their Fate on February 13th, 2007, when their album was introduced to the world.

The album opens up with the creaky sound of a door opening and a low rumble of thunder ushers in dreamy piano work, the centerpiece of this short instrumental track, "Weeping Sky", just a little more than a minute long. A grim piano note segues smoothly into the next song…

Assertive guitars and drums, as well as the mournful piano open up the second track, "Corruption". Vonnie King’s expressive voice is heard here for the first time. "It’s nothing new, it doesn’t hurt", she chants in a teasing tone. Drummer Joey Daub provides some nice backing vocals as well as some rhythmic drum rolls. A ripping guitar solo in the middle adds some extra flavor to this mid-tempo tune. The opening notes return towards the end to take the song out a little faster this time, with faint echoes ending the song and cleverly fading into the next one…

The fade-in from the previous song continues on the third track, "Falling", with Vonnie’s voice gently coming in at the half-minute mark. Some lovely layered vocals here too, spoken lyrics overlapping sung ones. This song is also of a mid-tempo feel. Vonnie gives some gorgeous vocalization in the middle of the song, before a guitar solo vaguely reminiscent of Dream Theater. Vonnie’s double vocals return again as the guitars become a bit crunchier, the spacey keyboards lingering over the final note.

Track four, "What Lies Ahead", starts off with an explosive drumbeat coupled with mournful pianos. Vonnie’s voice is a little rougher around the edges here, but not at all lacking in splendor. Another mid-tempo song with a scorching guitar solo. The chorus is memorable, but there is not much to this song, fading out with pretty pianos, bouncy bass, and slow, methodic drumming.

The thunderous roar that opened up the album makes a return here on track five, "Forever Lost", as melancholic pianos slowly open up this track. About a minute into the song, Vonnie appears with some stirring vocals. This is more of a ballad, but there are still heavy guitars and drums lingering not too far behind. "Mysteries fade away into the night!" she sings with emotion. Atmospheric keyboard work punctuates these ardent vocals, followed up by an equally animated guitar solo. Vonnie’s voice makes a return, her vocals plaintive as she expresses her wishes. Sweet vocalization towards the end, as the thunder returns and the calm piano carries us out.

Rolling piano work and an assertive band jam starts up the sixth track, "Desire". Vonnie’s voice is completely unrestrained as she sings, "tonight’s all for you!" Then her voice switches to the warmth of a siren seductress as she tempts the listener, "come with me, my sweet…I will show you the way to everlasting love". The music takes a pause, continuing its slow rise to churning guitars, and then back to Vonnie’s passionate voice. An equally arduous guitar solo meets us here. Vonnie returns to the soft vocals to lead way to dark piano work, switching once more to the lusty vocalizations, as the drums and guitars rush to match her fiery pace, before a lingering guitar note closes it out.

Tinkling pianos and mystifying keyboard work set the tone for the second instrumental piece of the album, "A Descent Into the Maelstrom", which clocks in just short of one minute.

"With my Fears", the eighth track, begins with ethereal pianos and Vonnie’s voice, sounding as if it is echoing from a far-off place. "Where do I belong?" The band jumps in a heartbeat later, her voice strong and clear. Her chant at the beginning is still soft, but now sounding close by. Her voice is absolutely hypnotic as her vocals move up and down the range, punctuating a verse with a high note. Steady drums accentuate this constantly changing rate. The pianos grow faster, hearkening a break in the music before an all-out band jam, complete with a blazing guitar solo. The music calms down on the final guitar note, as Vonnie asks once again, "Where do I belong?" Some more of the same vocals as before, her dulcet high note and the pianos fading out on this song.

Track nine, which is ironically named "Ten", begins on a fade-in, with moody pianos, menacing drumbeats, and Vonnie using her speaking voice to tell us about being alone in the darkness. Her voice takes on a slightly deeper pitch when she starts to sing. She really lets loose and belts it out, though! Her voice goes from a soft, steady chant to raw emotion to picture-perfect sweetness…all this before reaching the 3-minute mark! A small instrumental break, then Vonnie’s vocals lure us to the roaring guitar solo, layered over orchestral keyboard work. Vonnie returns once again before her voice brings the song to a close.

Soft acoustics and slow electric guitars compliment each other on the tenth track, "Entropy", as mystical keyboards take us through the third and final instrumental track of the album.

The otherworldly keyboards and mellow guitars bring forth Vonnie’s vocalizations and the entire band to kick off the eleventh track, "Jasmine". Vonnie sings quietly at first, her voice building to a crescendo on this rockin’ tune. Although it is also a mid-tempo song, this is likely the heaviest of the tracks on the album. A short instrumental break with Vonnie’s vocalization, and then a guitar solo that is among the heaviest thus far. It’s positively smokin’! Vonnie’s lush vocals come back again, the catchy chorus sticking in your mind. Another band jam, a pause, then the jam continues to include vocalizations by Vonnie this time. The steady clicking of the drum slows the beat down before ending on Vonnie’s voice.

The final track, "Fate", which is also the title track, begins with the ringing of bells, snappy drumming and distinctive keyboard work. This goes on for a while before Vonnie’s sultry voice makes an appearance. Her voice grows more assertive as the song goes on. Some wailing guitars can be heard throughout. An instrumental part heralds the blistering guitar solo at about the 4-minute mark. Then the song winds down a bit, while not losing its intensity, welcoming Vonnie back. This song keeps the same pace for the most part, no sudden bursts of band jamming or shift in mood. The song ends suddenly a little after 6 minutes, leaving us how we started: with the whipping wind and this time, the creaky door shutting off both the song and the album.

Overall opinion: Take the intricate melodies of early Dream Theater (without the lengthy songs), the atmospheric charm of Enter-era Within Temptation (without the male grunts), add in some lustrous R&B-inspired female vocals, stir, and you’ve got Fountain of Tears. This band is a perfect blend of both progressive and gothic metal, balancing both to where neither style is too prominent, but making its presence known just the same, while adding a totally new element of bluesy vocals to this mix. Fans of Delain or the "new era" of Nightwish may also find Fountain of Tears enjoyable to listen to. Vonnie is a talented singer who uses her voice as an instrument of emotion quite well---she can change from shy, girlish vocals to evocative, seductive vocals all at the drop of a hat---without losing anything in the transition. It seems that among the femme-metal groups these days, the vocalists are split between two categories: the high-pitched, "angelic"/operatic voice (i.e., Tarja Turunen, Sharon den Adel), or the straight-up, rough around the edges "rock" voice (i.e., Cristina Scabbia, Kimberly Goss). When listening to Vonnie, she combines these styles rather seamlessly, and makes for a fresh and interesting voice to be heard in the femme-metal world. In fact, she sounds like neither one of these styles, it is clear she is more blues/soul oriented, and to hear that amidst the elfin girlish voices or the aggressive "tough chick" voices, certainly makes her stand out. This ability to change moods in such a way is especially apparent on songs like "Desire" and "Ten". The band’s mid-tempo, piano/keyboard-based compositions suit her voice perfectly. And while there is enough piano work to insure a dark gothic influence, each track features a guitar solo that pays tribute to more progressive/power metal influences. While there are enough of these elements to please fans of this particular style of music, they are not a "copycat" band, in that they don’t bring to mind any other bands on the scene. They have familiar qualities, but not so much that the listener becomes bored or reminded quickly of a more well-known band. However, for all the lovely harmonies that the band provides, nearly all of their songs stay in a mid-tempo format and do not quite take advantage of matching the range of their singer. There were a few times, while listening, where I wished for the song to take a heavier tune or become a bit faster. It would have been nice to hear slightly more diversity, in that there could have been a heavy track or two, or a couple of mellow ballads. I especially felt this on the title track, that it could have been a fantastic closer to the album, if only there was a little more heaviness. The instrumental tracks show a glimmer of the band’s potential; they are well-rounded musicians with a polished sound. For being their first album, it is still a fine piece of work, despite what minor flaws there may be. Judging by this musicianship, it would be great to hear what they can do in the future---I’d really like to hear some more all-out rockin’ from the band! If that can be called a "gripe", it’s not a major one at that. Fountain of Tears is an excellent new band that fans of the femme-metal genre, new or old, should be inclined to check out. Fate is a promising debut from this East Coast band, and without a doubt I will be keeping my eyes (and ears) open to what they’ll do next.

7/10

Pictures can be found courtesy of the band’s website: http://www.fountainoftears.com/.