The fascination of Vladimir’s first release
certainly carries onward into the 2nd offering, Carriers of Dust! Although
the production far surpasses "Of Wind & Weeping" (not that
that was bad anyways), the tempo isn't nearly as unpredictable. Not a bad
thing, it just means Vlad is writing more aggressive music. Like I said,
not a bad thing! There are only 4 tracks, but a hefty 46 minutes more than
compensates anyone in question. Mirrorthrone
continues the array of mystic romanticism with unique synthesizer notes,
varied guitar tones (less acoustic, but more fast & distorted solo-notes)
and those damned awesome shamaniac choruses! CoD lavishes with more of a
death metal-oriented feel than before. The opening track (A Scream to Express
the Hate of a Race) is extremely evident in that assumption. The drum sound
is the most pleasing surprise on this album. They are well varied and detailed
like an intricate player would be. Even though Vladimir pretty much wrote,
performed & engineered everything on this release, it sounds like a
very sophisticated band at the peak of creativity! On top of that, the imagery
behind the lyrics (still mostly in French, except for the 1st track) and
the baroque structures from before are in fact - in tact! This release shows
Vladimir as one of the most intelligent writers / producers in the metal
scene, period. If you like other powerful stuff like Opeth, Shape of Despair,
Agalloch, Dimmu Borgir, Diabolical Masquerade or even Arcturus... CHECK
THIS STUFF OUT NOW!!!!!
Rating: 98
Reviewed By: Thomas Mitchell |
