Band:	Canis Dirus
Album:	A Somber Wind From A Distant Shore
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	August 2009

01. Choking And Drowning..
02. A Somber Wind From A Distant Shore
03. Garden Of Death
04. Joyless And The Self Fulfilling Prophecy
05. In The Season Of The Shadows
06. ...In Deep Waters

From the "land of 10.000 lakes" – that's Minnesota, not Finland – comes Canis Dirus, a two-headed beast comprised of TMP (instruments) and RH (vocals). A Somber Wind From A Distant Shore is their first effort. (Oh, the actual Canis Dirus was not a two-headed beast, just so we're clear on that...)*

On A Somber Wind... the Plymouth residents showcase above average Burzum-styled Black metal. Black metal that gets a boost from the well-fitting raw and echoing production, thriving on its minimalism and its dark essence. Besides Burzum Silencer also comes to mind, as vocalist RH manages to sound just as demented and deluded as Nattramn once did on the great "Death, Pierce Me". While listening to this album various levels of quality surface, making this a very instable release. "Garden Of Death" for example shackles with its icy lead guitar opening and surprises further down the road with a sudden brutal grunt, but the title track loses it's choking grip on the listener during the latter part of the song and dissolves in a mind-numbing bassdrone. It is still no Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, after all.

In short – A Somber Wind... is an album that has its merits and its flaws. It is a worthy tribute album, a worthy depressed Black metal album yet still miles apart from Burzum's fantastic works.

* This review was made possible by Wikipedia.