VISION BLEAK

In cases like these, people tend to use the somewhat dopey Americanism "wow!" — and much as I'd like to avoid it, I'm afraid I'd be hard-pressed to find a more fitting word to describe the initial sensations upon listening to the new work by this magnificent German duo. The first "wow" goes to the fact that for seven years now this band has remained a duo, defying the universal law of quantity transforming into quality, since in this case the quality of the music is inversely proportional to the number of its creators. The second "wow" goes to the fact that the third album doesn't merely maintain the high standard set by the debut and second release but surpasses it in every parameter. I don't want to come across as excessively grandiose, but the new record sounds simply perfect. It's so good that it becomes a little frightening — can the band continue to meet such lofty demands of itself? But then, we'd have to live to see the next release first. For now, what we have is a certain departure from the near-classic dark metal of the previous works toward a somewhat slower pace — not quite doom-level yet; rather, the guys have started playing more leisurely. The way only people who are one hundred percent confident in themselves and their chosen course can afford to play. The guitar sound has noticeably grown heavier — just a bit more and the boundary with death metal will be within arm's reach. Horror-themed lyrics, Konstanz's deep low vocals, and stunningly beautiful, darkly tinged melodies are the final ingredients of this magnificent (I use the word without false modesty) album, which I'm certain will be enthusiastically received by the broadest masses of heavy music devotees.