Band:	Deinonychus
Album:	Ark Of Thought
Style:	Black metal, Doom metal
Release date:	1997
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Chrysanthemums In Bloom
02. Revelation
03. My Days Until
04. Oceans Of Soliloquy
05. Serpent Of Old
06. Leviathan
07. The Fragrant Thorns Of Roses
08. Birth And The Eleventh Moon

Deinonychus after "The Silence Of December" and "The Weeping Of A Thousand Years" ended their contract with Cacophonus Records and signed a contract with Supernal Music which led to a very prosperous and high quality release.

It was 1997 when Marco Kehren proved to the world of extremely painful doom/black metal that he and his one-man project deserved to be amongst the most well-known acts of the scene and the name of the release breathing absolute maturity, utter inspiration and uniqueness of expression to get Deinonychus into the pantheon of doom/black metal was "Ark Of Thought". When compared to the two previous releases, "Ark Of Thought" is exactly what Marco Kehren would love to present because through the previous era of the band he gained the experience needed to get to know on how to express himself and how to present everything he had inside.

"Ark Of Thought" consists of eight compositions none of which surpasses the seven minutes; the album lasts less than 45 minutes something very positive for the way it flows! All the ideas unfold beautifully and never get repetitive, letting Marco Kehren's genius mind weave the art of suicide so elegantly that you can't deny the call of inner self-destructive emotions. Marco Kehren has one of the most expressive vocals in the whole doom metal scene, he sounds so extreme, terrifying, desolate and painful at the same time and he seems to be living every single word he utters! His screams are so unearthly, so desperate that you really can't imagine a human being feeling so much pain, the only thing you have to do is to listen to Deinonychus and you'll get to find out yourself why Marco Kehren is one of the best extreme vocalists around. Whether he screams in ecstasy and woe or recites with this ultra deep voice he sounds so utterly expressive and emotional, there's nothing you can do but convince yourself that everything in Deinonychus' music is real and lurking towards you. The lyrics are ultra mourning and poetic as well and leave no seed for hope and life to blossom on the barren soil.

The atmosphere of the album is imposing and epic in its very own oppressive way, the keyboards evoke either a wailing atmosphere or a more distressing and twisted one that dances macabre with the emotions of the listener, violating his tranquility. Something that helps in this imposing feeling is the powerful drumming that creates walls of sound, blending beautifully with the mourning guitar work that cuts like razors, whether it is black metal-driven riffing or acoustic guitar chords, always evoking a doleful feeling in the emotionally burdened atmosphere.

What many other bands lack in front of the sacred beast of mourning named Deinonychus is the purity of emotion and expression, nothing is fake in the overall essence of Marco Kehren's summoning, everything breathes purity and haunts your whole existence. And "Ark Of Thought" is one of those albums that flows definitely as one without having to pick a song to listen to, moving mainly in mid-tempo soundscapes but having its intense outbursts that escalate the emotional charge of the songs. For 43 minutes you keep on drowning and when the time comes you press the "repeat" button for you'll keep on drowning, in solitude, you and your emotions.

To me, this is the ultimate Deinonychus manifestation of wounds, bleeding emotions and suffocating cries, one of the best doom/black metal releases ever, just proceed.