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1. "Equus" (12:13) Danny Carey (TOOL)-like drumming opens this before being joined by bass, guitars, and violin. Tim Charles has a GREAT voice--one that compares to all of the greats. And the play of bassist Martino Garattoni is moving'! The music here is tremendously engaging and melodic, smoothed out by the wonderful presence and arrangements of the orchestral instruments, this is a song that I could listen to quite happily, quite regularly. I love the way Tim's screeching violin plays off of Xenoyr's death metal growls, sometimes serving as a mirror of Xenoyr's passion, sometimes serving as a calming counterbalance. The electric guitar solo in the tenth and eleventh minutes is amazing: it seems to bridge that gap between technical metal shredding and old-fashioned bluesy prog styles. Awesome! I don't think I'm going to hear many songs better than this one this year--especially coming from the metal persuasion; not even the "harsh" vocals can disturb or dissuade me. My favorite song on the album. (25/25)

2. "Misericorde I - As the Flesh Falls" (7:33) opens with an early-Opeth-like wall of sound with Xenoyr screaling away over the first minute. The drummer and bass player are going machine gun crazy as Tim Charles joins in with his "clean" vocals and then in the third minute when Tim rosins up his bow for some pyrotechnics. Great dynamics. Amazing bass and drum play--especially in the foot pedal department. Pace shift in the fifth minute as Xenoyr takes the lead back precedes a spacious patch around the five-minute mark in which Tim's violin adds to the percussive sparsity. By the end of the sixth minute we've ramped back up to full power, this time with Tim singing the lead with those long notes. The strings again contribute hugely to this section, making it quite melodic and engaging despite the wild staccato of the drums and guitars and the vocals. Around the 7:30 mark all metal aspects drop out leaving strings and piano to establish a slow-paced "Great Gig in the Sky"/cabaret/lounge sound. Stéphane Grappeli anyone? A top three song. (14/15) 3. "Misericorde II - Anatomy of Quiescence" (9:22) The classical chamber motif established at the end of Misericorde I continues, offering Tim a chance to show a different side of his violin prowess. (Do I hear some "Larks Ascending" riffs in there?) Bluesy drums, bass, and guitar slowly join in, slowly filling the soundscape before launching the bluesy-rock guitar machinations of Benjamin Baret in the third minute. The rest of the band ramps up into metal ballad land as Ben's STEVE VAI-like guitar shredding begins to send sparks and shrapnel out of my speakers. Then a pensive, militaristic passage establishes itself, plodding irresolutely along as the strings play like their on the deck of the sinking Olympic (Oops! I mean "Titanic"). This music is so accessible, so engaging that I'm quite reminded of the spell that FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM creates on me. Another song that surprises and wins me over; I'm really hard-pressed to find any faults within this song. Another top three song. (19.5/20)

4. "Suspyre" (10:09) the mood of the music here is quite well matched to the undead topic indicated by the title--even when the classical guitar palette is introduced at the 4:30 mark. The guitar sound thereafter sounds a bit dated--like 1990s Death or VOIVOD--and then this section is transitioned into the monster-like growl section of Xenoyr--which is capped off with some absolutely demonic violin play. Still not a fan of this guitar sound used beneath Tim's singing about (im)mortality. Bass and drums are great, however, and Tim's next violin solo--paired with another great, if brief guitar solo by Benjamin Baret--are great; they lead perfectly into the chaotic final crescendo. (17.5/20)

5. "Graal" (8:53) more metal that sounds so much like the dark/black metal music that flourished in the 1990s--except for Tim Charles' "clean" vocals--and the frenetic violin play (which adds so much). A shift in the music at the end of the third minute helps to usher in a spacious acoustic guitar passage over which bass player Martino Garattoni gets to show off his chops. As screaching lead guitar cuts Tim and Martino off, the full band reignites their ignition and quickly moves into overdrive, eventually returning to that 1990s death metal sound as Xenoyr screamowls away. Re-enter Ben and we get some more very 1990s-familiar technical metal shredding. Nice interplay between the insidious bashing of the metal music coming from the rhythm section while Tim and the other strings players play their own classical thing at the same time. Cool finish! (17.75/20)

6. "Anhedonia" (3:43) brings the album to a close with a rather stark, Arabian/desert religious feel as Tim's wordless voice soars around the desert air while piano chords keep we observers grounded. Shankar/Vaughan Williams like violin also plays a major role first soaring as Tim's voice had done--even alongside Tim's vocalise--but then closing out the song with some frenzied play within a loose weave of other strings keening away. (9/10)

Total Time 51:53

These songs are so accessible, so engaging (I think due to the "clean" vocals, violins and other symphonic orchestral elements)--despite the presence of "harsh" death metal vocal growls--that I'm wont to call this "Easy Listening Prog Metal" or, at least, Symphonic Metal--especially with the opening three songs. Tim Charles' voice--doing the "clean" vocals--is extraordinary: he can hold his notes for so long!

A/five stars; a masterpiece of progressive rock music and perhaps my highest rated and favorite metal album of all- time! Definitely a must to check out for any and all prog lovers!

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