If you consider yourself a true-to-the-bone black metal fan, avoid it like a plague. Considering how overly "un-evil," accessible and commercial this stuff is, Ashen Light may as well be called a Russian Dimmu Borgir. Well, a more accurate description would be Dimmu Borgir circa, say, "Enthroned Darkness Triumphant" and "Goat Horns"-era Nokturnal Mortum because, with the exception of track eight which is a total Dimmu Borgir worship, what we have here is a full-fledged folk-black metal. Hmm, this doesn't sound quite right, so allow me to rephrase myself. This is folk-pop-black metal. Seriously. Ashen Light could be contenders for the prestigious title of "Backstreet Boys of black metal." They may be excellent musicians. They may call themselves pagans or satanists and wear tons of spikes and corpse paint, but the fact is that they use the language of black metal to communicate musical ideas that reek of mainstream slobbering. The first two songs are so catchy in such a shamelessly mainstream manner, with their ridiculously accessible, leading popsy-folk melodies which even a five-year old can hum, and equally commercial riffs, that you could play them on MTV. Fuck! I thought black metal was supposed to be dark and evil and hateful, and this band have none of it. Black metal for twelve year old girls. That's what it is. Forget it.

© 2000 boris