This is one of those all too extremely rare PERFECT albums... second to none in terms of atmosphere.. this album completely blows me away.. completely original, and just so... well.. FUCKING PERFECT!!! To give you an idea of how amazing the atmosphere on this album is, let me tell you the story it brought to my head WITHOUT reading the lyrics, the music did it all by itself...

The tale I imagined while listening to this cd is of a beast in a long forgotten land, one damned to live immortally in the dark caves of the abyss.. and one day he hears a long, distant calling of a princess, and this prevides him with a new hope, someone that could forever quench him of his loneliness.. so one night he decides to go out and kidnap her, he travels across the baron landscapes to the land where the voice was heard.. he kidnaps the princess, and brings her back to his cave.. while there the princess starts to feel as if she'd never escape and that the beast was going to do harm to her... The king, an evil tyrant, realises his daughter is missing, and sends some men on a search to find her... during this long crusade the princess starts to turn, and actually is learning to love this beast of immortality, and on the day she is going to profess her love, the men find her! Kidnap her back, and take her back to the palace.. The king upon hearing what the princess has told her, locks her away in the tower, and sets a trap for the beast... The beast, upon seeing that the princess is missing, goes bezerk, and lets out his infernal screams in hope that the princess could possibly hear him... they communicate through the beasts screams, and the lovely princess's singing.. and the beast gets ready to storm the castle... While on his way he comes across what appears to be an army.. and he pays no homage to it.. Then he realises the coat of arms they are wearing, and notices it is the same as on the princess's castle! The army attacks... A violent battle pursues, the beast getting hit with sword after sword, but managing to strike down soldier after soldier (he is immortal after all).. the beast comes out in victory.. than in extreme torment, marches through the thousands of bodies he had just laid to rest before.. he sees the castle on the horizon.. there is more communication between the princess and the beast here.. the beast is now in front of the castle, and the king steps out, and launches yet another attack on the beast! This battle continues much like the last and the beast gets so violently frustrated that he just starts waisting everything in sight.. now he stands before the king.. the king, known for his tyranny and skills in battle, launches forward to attack.. the beast and king battle it out for many hours, and then, BANG! a sword from the king misses the beast and rams into the side of the princess who was coming out to stop the fighting.. The beast lets out infernal screams of torment, than heads back to his cave.. The last song is representative of how the beast has learned how he is cursed to be.. Forever Alone Immortal

Now.. just the simple fact that I got a story of that stature, in that much detail (even more than could be described cause I was seeing images of this in my head!) just from listening to this cd (under no influence of drugs mind you), should be enough to make you go out in buy it.. if it isn't, well, let me put it this way... the music is as much timeless as it is atmospheric, while listening to it, it'll feel like you have been listening to the most amazing cd of your life for an eternity, but when it is over it feels like it was only on for a blink of the eye (a very interesting effect indeed..)... no reason for me to keep praising this.. BUY OR DIE!!! The one true black metal masterpiece...

Appeal: Anyone who can appreciate a work of art...

© 2001 niosrever