Before being sentenced to 8 years in prison for murder, Jon Nödtveidt was heralded as one of the most creative forces in metal. Unfortunately, Dissection is no more, but their legacy is represented well for this album constantly makes top ten lists for must haves, and I would definitely agree. It's easy to spot this as one of the seminal works in the "Gothenburg Sound". Based primarily on hyper-melodic guitar work, Storm of the Light's Bane rips through 6 lengthy pieces and two short, quiet instrumentals. There's some repetition of material here, but considering the originality of the overall work, it's completely acceptable. Standard tuning of the guitars allows nuances which are generally lost to ring out, and present the material in a truly majestic way. Very nice melding of electric and acoutic, giving an almost classical feel. This is where most of the melodic metal began, which is reason enough to shell out the dough. I must say though, one of the few times recently that production has interfered with my listening enjoyment, as there is just way too much reverb here on the vocals and toms. Bass drums also sound triggered, which adds a real inhuman effect, not blending all that greatly. Better production only would have made a classic even more timeless though, for, faults and all, one of the bright points in music.
9 out of 10