What's this? Another supergroup! This one features members of Cradle of Filth, Mayhem and Dimmu Borgir, to name a few. Do these guys never sleep? Usually, with this prolific nature, some real duds are going to fly, but fate is tempted once more and another excellent record is released! I, for one, am glad to see that the focus has shifted from satan to more of a stellar nature. These lyrics, along with the symphonic nature of the compositions, provides a really majestic sound, amplified by some just killer musicianship! Not just riffs, the songs are actually benefitted by the addition of keyboards. If anyone has heard Hellhammer before, you can attest to his dominance of the drum kit, but here, he also gets to stretch out and draw from different influences, throwing some really interesting fills and patterns into the fray. The production is superb, just bringing this all together but also allowing for everything to stand on it's own. Vocals are the standard "Pissed off elf in the forest" ranting, but, with the lyrical nature, fit better than on other recordings. The "Starsong" vocals are more of an added effect, which here, like the keyboards, adds, rather than detracts from the astral nature. I think it's safe to say that I like this release much more than anything that the other groups have put out before. After all my criticism of supergroups, maybe they're not such a bad thing after all, for this album just kills from start to finish; it hasn't left my CD player since I bought it! A sound investment for April 1998!
9 out of 10