Review:

on 2012-11-15 austinv56 Said:

Trevor Strnad has one of the most demonic voices in music. I do not even know how he makes his voice sounds the way it does most of the time. Regardless, whatever he does is a good thing: he is certainly one of a kind, and he proves it on this album. You know an album is good when it gives you a headache upon finishing it, but you still want to listen to it again. Yes, it is that good.

While listening to this album, you become disconnected with reality and feel as if some wicked, devil-like creature is haunting your soul and filling your head with insane thoughts and sounds. But, its not just a conglomeration of sounds and screams; it actually has some great guitar, drums, vocals, and lyrics, all the most important aspects required for a great metal album. The first song, A Shrine to Madness, starts out deceivingly slow and quiet, until all of a sudden it starts destroying the ears of its listeners with vocals and instrumentation that do not seem possible. The listener already seems to want a break, but instead The Black Dahlia Murder keep coming with the best track on the album, Moonlight Equilibrium. This song perfectly combines elements of metalcore and melodic death metal, the two genres that they have seemingly morphed.

The carnage continues throughout the album with other standout tracks such as The Window, Carbonized in Cruciform, and The Raven. Unlike some other death metal albums, the songs can both stand out (and be differentiated) and feel like they are one album together. The theme here is common and each song flows nicely into the next. The lyrics, of the ones that can be deciphered, are obviously demonic in subject and deal with all sorts of topics, one of them being religion. Once the album finally ends, you realize you can finally exhale and try to comprehend what you just heard. But believe me, its going to take many listens to pick up on all the little things that they throw in their songs. They are unbelievably intricate, which makes them such a memorable band.
Rating: 9/10