Band:	Ethereal Blue
Album:	Black Heart Process
Style:	Atmospheric death metal
Release date:	January 2005
A review by:	Undercraft

01. Your Mechanical Ego
02. Destination: Denial
03. Despair
04. War
05. Black Heart Process
06. Transplanted Images
07. Licking The Wounds
08. Noi, Tu, Loss?

Death Metal with feeling!

I could begin this review bashing this album for its ugly cover art and overall design and I could rant all day about the unreadable song titles in the jacket of the album, but I'm not going to do that, because I'm incapable at the moment, and don't get me wrong, the band didn't threaten me or my family, it just? I'm totally in love with this album!

Yeah I thought it was going to be a tranquil day at work, listen some bad Cd's, reviewing them and going home with my lovely girlfriend. Until I decided to review this album. After the first spin I was so impressed that I didn't want to review the album without listening it at least 5 more spins. Several spins (and weeks) later, I'm ready to tell the world about Ethereal Blue, a six-piece from Greece.

The music of Ethereal Blue can be defined as a Gothic-Black Emotional Death Metal, or something like that, fast paced tunes sung both in growls and clear vocals, with keyboards adding some atmosphere to the overall emotional and somewhat melancholic vibe of the album.

The album has some rabid outbreaks and moody sections, this bipolarity is the key of the band, they manage their compositions with such talent that is impossible to be unimpressed with songs like "Despair" and "Transplanted Images". Frontman Efthimis V can handle the vocal duties with such expertise that is hard to believe that this is the debut album of the band.

Of course this album is not perfect, and I'm not hoping to be perfect, because to be completely honest, perfection sucks. The production is not the best around, but is not bad either. I had a problem with the keyboards though, they sound to cold and plastic, it takes away a big amount of the emotional factor of the band, maybe they could try something more warm like a violin or a cello? Who knows, maybe a string quartet!

For a debut effort this is definitively worth listening, I'm very pleased with the results of the album and I can't wait to see the evolution of the band in their sophomore effort.
Remember well the name, because I can tell Ethereal Blue are going to be big on a near future.