ETERNAL DIGNITY

Another nice band I discovered on this site. Quite progressive and symphonic, a mix of Therion and Black Sabbath with slight Crimsonesque influences. The music is often slow and dark, with melodic guitar solos and refreshing keyboards, but also heavier passages. The vocals are powerful, yet very melodic. A very enjoyable album...

"Legend Of The Hollow" is the first of the two epics on the album - mid paced metal with a slight middle eastern feeling, strong keyboards, spoken interludes. "The Law Of The Web" is another song with a strong middle eastern feeling (the artwork sets the mood for this song) - starts really quietly with even a children choir before speeding up a bit with a nice guitar/synth instrumental interlude. "Dark Tower" is probably the most progressive song here - a dark, doomy melody interrupted here and there by heavier and faster instrumental parts, very reminiscent of early Black Sabbath. "No-one Lives Forever" is in the same vein (maybe the only drawback of this album... some of the songs sound a bit the same, or at least share the same pattern). "Water & Stones" is the ballad of the album - gentle melody and vocals, the children choir is used here too. "Day VI" is one of the most symphonic songs here - the keyboards are really present, the distorted rhythm guitar adds power to the music, very much like what Therion does when they do semi- ballads. "The Crypt" is the other epic song on the album - 14+ minutes with a lot of mood changes, a good way to close the album.

Rating: 97/100 (5 stars - highly recommended).