This is a masterpiece of music in general. One of the best Portuguese metal or non metal álbuns of all time.

Written by Khold Baroness on 29.10.2023 at 02:19

This is a masterpiece of music in general. One of the best Portuguese metal or non metal álbuns of all time.

Quite a bold statement for an album that isn't even released yet.

At 68 minutes, it's not an album to just dip into, but it rewards patient listeners - the borderline death/doom with the gloomy atmosphere and bleak guitar melodies, plus the major use of Portuguese guitar and neofolk percussion, makes for a really compelling mix of sounds

I admit it's a bit long winded in parts, and eleven tracks at over an hour in length can be off putting at first, but there are some incredible moments here. It's excellent gothic doom with elements of neofolk, with beautiful instrumentation with wonderfully crafted melodies, and great vocal performances. Some tracks are even amongst the best I've heard this year, "Lucefécit", "The Adorer" and "The old oak and the mandrake root" in particular, I'd even say this band deserves more recognition on the gothic doom scene.

I like this, I really do, but it struggled to hold my attention for such a long album. This could've been great if it was considerably trimmed. It has some truly stunning moments with fantastic musicianship too. Nations Fall and The Adorer were the standout tracks for me with an absolutely glorious way to end the album with The Old Oak And The Mandrake Root. I'll definitely need more time with this album because there's so much to praise.