Band:	Odem Arcarum
Album:	Outrageous Reverie Above The Erosion Of Barren Earth
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	April 01, 2010
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Gate
02. Oceans
03. Worlds Of Barren Land
04. Loss
05. Hell And Revelation
06. The Body And Perpetual Imagination
07. A Darker Kind Of Dreaming

Something's not working well, something's wrong, definitely wrong, at least in the black metal scene and this malfunction is either with Germany or with the rest of the world. In Germany's case, this wrong is actually so goddamn right. You guessed correctly, Odem Arcarum hail from this specific part of central Europe and once again you're right, they move in black metal soundscapes. Oh well, this country's been on an expedition to save the reputation of the scene and succeeds in a way that should make many bands blush in corpsepaint (blushpaint); or not (just blush).

Outrageous Reverie Above The Erosion of Barren Earth is their second full-length and it depicts exactly everything the title has to say, both in terms of atmosphere and cover artwork. The odd key signatures Odem Arcarum use is the genius part in this work, especially since they are being used wisely so as to evoke an ominous atmosphere, a feeling as if you were being chased by something parading in the shadows. The echo effect on the permeating, horrifying howls strengthens the aforementioned statement along with the various faces of interpretation Lord Arioch unleashes. The guitar work is simply magnificent and flows like the waves of the raging ocean. The riffing goes up and down the climax summoning obscure vibes in the overall atmosphere either with railway ideas or eccentric harmonics. Various FX appear here and there upon instruments or not, enriching even more the kind of nightmarish ambiance the band unfolds and the keyboards disperse even more the prism through which everything's being filtered. Actually, what I found remarkable has to be the fact that the bass lines are actually noticeable, it's something like a massive pulse dancing macabre with the guitar harmonies, blending really well with the top-notch drumming that interprets in any tempo and never fails to present interesting passages sporadically.

Outrageous Reverie Above The Erosion Of Barren Earth is a game, a malicious one, that slowly devours the listener and as the album flows the roles become inverted, you're the game and the album is the player. There are times you think it may tire though, but the band has forged such mechanisms that notice it and right the next moment when you don't expect it something happens and the "I got bored" alarm never gets activated. Seven compositions most of which are quite lengthy present 65 minutes of unpretentious obscure black metal that's enough to make you want to cherish the threatening atmosphere of this album again and again and again until you scream "AGAIN?", yes, again.