Metal Reviews

What? Listen to old Tristania, Gothic Metal has always had growling.

Am I the only one to be especially blown away by the 9th track, "Mad Architect" ? This song is shredding my brain to bits right now.

Album ordered, thanks Zad for the review.

Yup, when I think in Goth I think in growls, angelical females voices and mid paced songs.

Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EVgXJi_-90

Mad Architect has a übersick beat! Just finished my first spin of The Great Mass, and the words Album of the year so far are flying in my mind. 90 seems a bit short, more like a 95 for me. It's one of those albums that makes you feel proud to be a metalhead. It's extremely well crafted, the songwriting, the production, the artwork, everything. Seems like 2011 is going to be a great year for the Metal Realm

I suppose i dont listen to enough Gothic metal, but holy shit Mad architect made me jizz so hard \m/

but still SF is too heavy for a gothic band

Don't care about the genre-alization dudes. This album rules.

Mad Architect

Fucking hell, Mad Architect is epic. I might need to get this. I loved Communion, and this one might just be able to drag me away from the latest Foo Fighters.

I feel so normal.

HO-LY SHIT DUDE...

Didn't really care too much for what I heard from these guys before, but I've been listening to some songs from this album, and damn, this is great. Gotta check this out in the future.

One of the best albums i've this year so far

This album is fuckin great. Certainly one of the best this year.

I think that after a long period of creativity the band is starting to fizzle out, the symphonics were overdone and the riffing was highly simplistic. There are some moments where the band shines through even now, but overall I don't even enjoy it as much as Communion, and I regret saying I'm not going to buy this thing. 6/10.

Sure is no Moonspell

<< Loved Night Eternal.

I had never listened to this band before reading this review... Very happy I read it because I picked it up after a few listens on you tube... Sumerian Daemons and Communion are now en route from Amazon.... Great Album.. 6,7, and 10 are the only tracks that get skipped , but that is only when my destination is coming up quickly...

I had listened to this album 4 or 5 times on youtube but I don't remember listening to it on the stereo. Bloody Christ in hell!! This album is magnificent! Pure majesty. This is more defined as Extreme Symphonic Metal done right! This information is indeed on Metal Archives but it is worth mentioning again that Christos Antoniou has a Master's degree in orchestration (concert music) from London College. Great music from beginning to end.

As much as I hated doing this, I agreed with Steve on this album, granted that I loved 'Mad Architect' too.

Thought Communion was much better than this album, and Sumerian Daemons even better than that.

You have to realize that creating atmosphere with orchestration is the main aim of this music. It's not to compose complex riffing but merely to somewhat accompany with the massive orchestration as a means of a heavy and a hammering sound. I'm sure he is more than capable of making riff after riff being it technical or not. That was not the aim of the music itself, however. There are some tremendous solos in there indicating what a capable guitarist he is. When you open the packaging it clearly says "wicked symphonic music."

Oh, I realize very much what they were doing. They've been doing exactly that, although somewhat less simplified, for years. I think generally people that weren't aware of/into Septic Flesh before they broke up have been way more impressed with their new material than those of us whom remember their older recordings.

I see. So what you're obviously saying is that old Septicflesh is better than their new era of a full symphony. There is a weight to your statement. However, they merely decided to change direction and have a full symphony behind them rather than synthesizers. The leads and solos are still present, nonetheless. Their first album is probably among my favorites. Then again, every albums of theirs has many a great highlights. I personally loved Sumerian Daemons.

If one compares say an album like Vovin to The Great Mass, one would realize that the latter has as many great leads and solos as the former. Now, I know their completely different atmospheres but both of them deal with mysticism.

I won't make a statement which is superior to the other because both of them are purely excellent albums.