Although i believe it to be of septicflesh's weaker album, it still has some well-structured songs within. Very good guitar work, and his vocals are still second to none. I only wish the production was slightly louder...

Great album. The one, on which the band started to experiment with the sound. Natalie Rassoulis' charming vocals also add up to the experience.
My personal favourites: The Ophidian Wheel, Phallic Litanies, Shamanic Rite, Heaven Below.

I like these album much more and like guitar work fullalbum is good but i wish it louder sound

Childhood memories - but not of that kind you are happy to remember...

In the late 70's, I had a cassette called 'Two symphonic fairy tales for children'. Side A featured Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" and the B side an interpretation of Tschaikowski's "The Nutcracker". You know, this kind of educational stuff, where the storybook characters are represented by instruments or musical themes. The wolf sounding like a french horn and whatever I luckily don't recall anymore.
Back then, I hated this cassette very much and I guess it forever spoiled my understanding and appreciation of classical music. Fortunately, I could bury most of these haunting memories deep inside of my innocent childhood's subconsciousness for many years.

Anyway, some of these memories managed to creep into my consciousness again while listening to this album. The orchestral instrumentation of some songs is so awful that I literally saw the nutcracker, the wolf, Peter, his grandfather and all those other enemies and molestors of my childhood's inviolacy right infront of me - but dressed up as oboe, bassoon, tam-tam, harps and clarinet.

I loved Communion, but to my ears, at least 50% of this album's content is utter garbage. I just can't stand it.

This album is full of mystical elements that keeps bringing me back for more. Shamanic Rite is one of their most underrated songs! Phallic Litanies is also outstanding!

With the previous albums I was just nitpicking when I was talking about their production. But this is their first album that I think suffers from a less than desirable sound. The guitars are too thin, buried under the symphonic elements with the vocals being too loud as well. I still enjoy the album as I still find the songwriting very intriguing and meticulous. I just wish the marriage between symphonic elements and metal was a bit smoother.