ANNO DOMINI HIGH DEFINITION

I discovered the band in 2004 with their first recording and so far, "Out of Myself " has always have had my preference. Probably because it was the less heavy-metal oriented. This "Anno Dominici?" is in line with the band's evolution towards a heavier and more metal sound. At least it is what can be felt while starting to listen to this album.

As soon as the well titled "Hyperactive" starts, you get the message: we're in for quite a wild treat. The band has a sound of their own, even if here and there some references are noticeable ("Opeth" or "Dream Theater" for instance). I have to admit that I much more preferred the whispering vocals from their debut than these aggressive ones available here.

This being said, there are still some enjoyable melodic parts which are combined with heavier ones. Keyboards do bring some other dimension to the music ("Driven To Destruction"). There are only five tracks on this short album. And their length is increasing chronologically: the shortest to start and the longest to end with.

The fine Oriental oriented "Egoist Hedonist" is a good song; probably because these sounds break with the overall metal mood (although this one is not a lullaby either). My fave of the whole is "Left Out" which reminds me a lot to their debut album: some atmospheric passages combined with heavy metal lines are a fine combination. Keyboards and guitar parts are very effective and end up crescendo in a fantastic orgy of sounds. A great track indeed.

The closing song is again on the heavy edge: keyboards are (again) the highlight: Michal Lapaj pumps them jolly good like the good old Hensley or Lord. He does overall a quite serious job on this album (maybe more than ever).

This work is their best one since their debut (at least I feel so). Just outside the four star rating (seven out of ten).