Band:	Dissection
Album:	The Somberlain
Style:	Melodic black metal, Melodic death metal
Release date:	December 03, 1993
Guest review by:	-Soulreaper-

Disc I
01. Black Horizons
02. The Somberlain
03. Crimson Towers
04. A Land Forlorn
05. Heaven's Damnation
06. Frozen
07. Into Infinite Obscurity
08. In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere
09. The Grief Prophecy/Shadows Over A Lost Kingdom
10. Mistress Of The Bleeding Sorrow
11. Feathers Fell
12. Son Of The Mourning [Japanese bonus]

Disc II [2006 Re-release bonus]
01. Frozen [live]
02. The Somberlain [live]
03. Shadows Over A Lost Kingdom
04. Son Of The Mourning
05. Into Infinite Obscurity
06. Frozen
07. In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere
08. Feathers Fell
09. Mistress Of The Bleeding Sorrow
10. The Call Of The Mist
11. Severed Into Shreds
12. Satanized
13. Born In Fire

The Somberlain is the debut album from the highly influential blackened death metal band, Dissection. In the midst of all the second wave of black metal bands and melodic death metal bands, these guys stepped out and created what no other band had done at that time; bridging the gap between black metal and death metal and throwing in some melody. This was the key that brought these Swedish pioneers to the forefront of the underground metal scene.

The complexity of the music, the distinguishable melodies, and the haunting vocals of Jon Nödtveidt on The Somberlain are what set this band apart from every other blackened death metal band. Even in today's metal scene, with the countless amounts of bands doing the same style.

Another element with this album is the atmospheric presence. To me this means that when listening to the songs on the album you are just entranced and don't want to do anything other than sit back and enjoy what is coming out of your speakers. It just leaves you in a state of euphoria and makes you dumbfounded as to how a group of guys could produce such a masterful album that not even the likes of god could duplicate.

So if you are looking for an album that has a mixture of acoustic passages, black metal, death metal, melody and a haunting atmosphere then I highly suggest this album.