Upon first hearing this CD from Hungary’s Finnugor, I had a largely negative opinion of the CD. The first aspect that stood out was the production. The band has obviously taken an underground/raw approach to the production and that in it self is not the problem; the problem is in the fact that the guitars are too low in the mix and the drums sound horrible. I’m not sure if a drum machine is being used or not but they sound very, very fake and way too electronic for my tastes. However, once I got past that, Black Flames still had some interesting things to offer.

Finnugor’s sound can be best described as a more Black Metal and underground version of Cradle Of Filth, as both bands share many of the same Black/Gothic Metal characteristics with symphonic keys and multiple vocal styles. Although, I would say for the most part that the manner in which Finnugor use their keys is different than the now common-place CoF keyboard style- but the same basic principle remains, since the keys are very upfront. In a way, the keys are both one of the best features of the CD and one of the worst. I say best because they add a very majestic and eerie sounding feel to the songs, not to mention they are quite varied. In some instances they are very epic, almost sounding like something Bal-Sagoth might use, and at other times they’re slightly folkish. Though I’m not that familiar with Mortiis, I’ve read that there are similarities between the two in keyboard usage. Unfortunately, there is a downside to them as well. As I mentioned, they are in fact very upfront and in many cases overpower the already muted guitars. Which really is a shame, because underneath, you can hear some somber melodies, and above average black metal riffing. Though most of the time the guitars are lost in the mix.

The actual song arrangements are very pleasing most of the time. There tends to be a lot of mood changes and a slightly epic approach to the song writing… well epic as far as Raw Black/Gothic Metal goes. Musically nothing gets overly complicated but, mostly thanks to the keys, the strong songs take on a life of their own and almost made me forget about the horrendous drum sound. The vocals are another story. There are about 3 different styles employed. The most common is a semi-spoken/half-sung deep raspy style (I don’t know how else to describe it) which I can see a lot of people hating, but there is some artistic value to it I’d say. Remember how Attila sounded when he did the clean vocals on the title track of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas release, well, that’s sort of how he sounds but perhaps deeper and not as strained. However, maybe I hear similarities only because both singers have a thick Hungarian accent when they sing… it’s certainly a possibility. The other styles are a variation on the aforementioned first style and then a very harsh Black Metal style similar to Dani Filth’s love/hate singing technique. With this harsh style, it sounds like singer, Gabriel Wolf, is using a vocal effect, which I’m not a big fan of. Yes, it’s a nice contrast to the less harsh style, but the vocal effect ruins it.

The strongest part of this CD is definitely the beginning. Obsession Of A Manic and Hidden By Gloom are excellent tracks that really showcase the masterful keyboard arrangements and quality song writing hidden underneath the production. Beyond The Last Goodbye and Greatest Myth Of Magic are the two other highlights. These songs further show us that Finnugor do have a knack for including variation in their songs. Tempos change often and some sections are pure Black Metal blasphemy, while others are majestically Gothic. There are also plenty of intros and interludes or just simply, pure keyboard tracks. 4 songs overall fit this bill, some have vocals and short guitar sections, but are mostly keyboards… perhaps this is where the supposed Mortiis references come to light the most. Certainly, catchy melodies are present and an interesting atmosphere is portrayed, but only for so long. Most of them drag on for a bit too long and end up ruining the effect they initially created. The end of the CD really falters as well with Der Schattenreiter, which while containing a nice break mid-way through, overall seems to be missing that magic that makes me forget about the drum sound on the previously mentioned song highlights. Also, the longest song, Behind The Mirror, the grand opus of Black Flames, is only mildly successful. There are some great sections in this song, but unfortunately, not enough to fill a 9+ minute track.

While I did enjoy the artistic features of Black Flames as well as about 5 songs a lot (they really grew on me with repeated listens) the drum sound, muted guitars, two weak songs, and drawn out interludes prevent Black Flames from getting a higher score. I do feel Finnugor have a lot of potential that perhaps is unleashed in Death Before Dawn, which was released this year… I hope to hear it soon. On a side note, Attila Csihar provides vocals on Death Before Dawn (or so I'm to understand), so it should be interesting to hear the outcome.

In conclusion, the biggest problem with this CD is that it probably won’t appeal to too many people. The keys and Gothic Metal elements will be too prevalent for most Raw Black Metal fans, and the production will be too weak for Cradle Of Filth fans. If you can meet somewhere in between like I have, you should find some enjoyment from about ¾ of this release.