the infinite
Lunaris
(Earache)

In a change from my norm, I am going to review the bonus disc first. It by itself is well worth the price of admission. It features nine tracks (two oddly from the Lunaris CD it comes with) from the Earache euro-death metal roster. On here you get everything from the ethereal, flute-filled death prog (think a much darker Jethro Tull with female vocals) of Without Face to the more more medieval influenced death of Rakol (heavy metal Pan pipes) and the electoronic trance death of Ephel Duath. It shows the great variety than can be found in death/doom/goth/power metal these days. It should be noted that to many North American metal fans, this stuff is prententions pap that is no better than the widdling of Dream Theater. But for the adventurous soul who prefers something more subtle than Superjoint Ritual, this CD could be a good intro.

The CD this compilation is attached to ain't half bad either. It's from Lunaris, which features members of bands like Spiral Architect. This band leans towards the uber-darkness of Dimmu Burgir. This is very dark, brooding, and mysterious. The musicianship is stellar, and for this genre, it's pretty impressive. Lunaris are part of the melodic death metal movement that is so big in Europe. If Cradle of Filth is too cartoony and camp for you, try this on for size. You won't be dissappointed. With the compilation in tow, how could you go wrong?

Marty: 4