Customer Reviews

Phoenix (Dig)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Agathodaimon have long been a band not afraid to experiment with their sound and try new things. 2004 seen Agathodaimon's fourth release Serpent's Embrace bordering on Gothic at times and even had a couple tracks that were rather catchy compared to the usual Black Metal styling's of the group's past. Phoenix tends to lean even further into that style, utilizing harmonic melody to contrast the Blackened Death base.

The difference between this album and the rest of the Agathodaimon discography would definitely be a strong inclusion of 'clean' vocals. Their are still plenty of Death/Black Metal styled growls and yells so don't think they sold out their origin's or anything of that manner. The sung parts are in a deep tone not unlike that of the more predominately Gothic Metal groups.

The music itself is a mix of mid to fast paced Death that borders on Black Metal at times and moody Gothic atmosphere creating a very dark and melodic atmosphere. Tracks such as "Decline" slow down to allow some haunting piano work but quickly reverts back to the metal. They use the atmospheric Gothic sense timidly and the outcome is a Metal album with some hints of Goth rather then being watered down by the Gothic style as many bands that try to mix the two end up with.

One of my favorite aspects of Agathodaimon have been the rip roaring leads. Phoenix has some amazing solo's and are definitely one point that was improved compared to Serpent's Embrace, which was rather lack of soloing in comparison to Phoenix. Their are some excellent riffs that can range from mid paced crunch to speedy almost violent shredding. It is safe to say that the band stepped it up in the rhythm and lead section as the guitars definitely lead each track on the album.

Their are several tracks that stand out as being fairly catchy such as the contagious riffing of "Ground Zero" and "Time Is The Fire". Other stand out tracks like the chaotic "Through Out The Fields Of Unshaded Grace" or the hauntingly melodic "To Our Ashes" all add their own flavor to the mix. The album has an overall well balanced feel to the Gothic versus Metal feel and neither truly over powers the other.

All in all after having heard every release by the group I have to admit this has to be my personal favorite release. The band has been trying to find common ground with their styles of Metal and Goth and it seems they finally managed to figure it out. This album is a prime example of a band utilizing two styles without sacrificing quality. Many band's have attempted to border the Goth/Metal path and few have found the end with their feet on both sides, Agathodaimon has done this flawlessly.

If you enjoy Metal with a darker atmosphere to it or even are a fan of the Gothic styling's then this album is for you. If your into the more brutal and to the point Death or Black metal then this may be a bit timid for you at points but is well worth a listen. Overall a triumph and in my opinion easily one of the best Gothic Metal albums I have ever had the privilege of listening to. I hope that my review interested you and ultimately convinced you to purchase this album, if your open minded you will not be disappointed.

-A Loyal Agathodaimon Fan

This is a very good offering from a band that has been on hiatus for 5 years. While, I will say I liked Serpent's Embrace more, Phoenix still packs quite a punch. This CD is a slight bit more accessible (for mainstream metal fans, anyway) than their previous efforts, but still manages to keep my interest and gets better as the CD continues. The recording quality is top notch through-out and the vocals are more dynamic. There is a lot of material here and it is good through-out. But, this brings me to my gripe with this CD, which is that it is a little too accessible for my tastes. Agathodaimon have always straddled genre boundaries, but this one pushes too much into main-stream metal, at times. A lot of the riffs are very straight forward and some sound like they were ripped off straight from the Gothenburg scene. They have strayed quite a bit from Black Metal, which many will say they never were to begin with. All in all, this is still a strong release and I recommend it for fans of melodic death/black and gothic metal. Not quite an amazing offering, but still very strong and a welcome return.

I've followed Agathodaimon since their inception with Blacken the Angel. That is still my favorite album of theirs, but this one is now my second favorite. The problem with some of their other albums is that while they are melodic, they lack a lot of creativity and sometimes sound downright bland. However, this is not the case on this album. This is a perfect blend of black/death metal, which can be at times a little too chaotic (but most of the time, you can still follow the flow of the music) and sometimes the synths are too loud, but otherwise a monumental album from them. This is what I've been waiting for them to do for years. Worth a listen whether you like gothic, black, or even death metal.