4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yet another piece of wonderful music from Isahn, March 28, 2002
Will Isahn ever stop? How many people in music today can hold a candle to his creativity, his ability to create atmosphere, and his pure musical talent?
The word "genius" is used far, far too much today, but here it applies perfectly.
Completley ignored by the mainstream, and even plenty of people who thionk they're in the know, everything he does seems to be utterly progressive. Beyond black metal, beyond metal, beyond anything, really.
When put up against cartoony-scary bands like Cradle of Filth, you really see the art here. Makes mainstream metal (linkin park, nickleback, marylin manson, whatever) look a bit silly really.
It gets a four, well, because that is what it deserves. But considering that it's a little side project, and it's still better than ANYTHING on mtv2 or kerrang or whatever.
It's not world beating like the "Prometheus:the Discipline of Fire and Demise" album, but it's just so far ahead of, well, everything really. Some people will moan, and say it's not raw, or not true to black metal. Just wait another 50 years for everything else to catch up to Isahn.
There are a few others who are as good - you just have to look.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ihsahn... WHY!?, October 1, 2003
Why does Ihsahn make such cerebral and intense music?!
This music is nearly as twisted as Emperors - Prometheus! Although I still like Prometheus quite a bit more and would give it 10 stars had I the ability. Its extremely hard to place this album because its illusive styles contrast from psychedellic darkness to further psychedellic darkness with intense neo-classical operatic and black metal vocals and symphonic arrangements. While Medieval, Viking, and Opera romanitcisms have passed with fancy a plenty with bands from Therion and Lacrimosa to Enslaved and Einherjer, Ihsahn and any of his projects include the irratic quick time psychedellic riffing and arrangements. Black metal and its subgenres rarely have seen a more mind bashing assault then that of Ihsahn in any of the bands he takes lead in.
Like the other reviews I will agree Ihsahns wifes opera vocal style is lacking in deffinition to a noteable degree and therefore this album voids 5 stars. Other then that this album is mostly perks and great evolutionary metal approaches that achieve a height that would make Satan teary eyed with happiness as a hellacious twisted circus of mind blowing tunes plays their course.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very unique musical experience, May 23, 2000
Now if you expect this to sound like Emperor because Ihsahn is part of it, you will be very disappointed. This is a very unique musical experience, it has a very atmospheric sound with strong black metal influences, with both clean and black-type vocals. All in all an excellent album, I highly recommend it if you like atmospheric metal.
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