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Picture courtesy of Dreadlocksmile.
| Value for Money | 7/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 7/10 |
Full review by
Dreadlocksmile
on 21st Dec 2004
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
Good Points: Includes some very creative and well-written tracks with the band's ever-developing, diverse style experimenting with a wide range of instruments and styles to create their unique and signature mystical sound. Also contains two bonus tracks.
Bad Points: The use of '80s sounding keyboards throughout the album is a little annoying. Some of the various instrumental styles and instruments do get a little too mixed up within the tracks creating a too over-crowded and confusing sound.
General comments: Lunatic Gods, Sitting By The Fire - First formed back in the hazy summer of 1994, the band took the original name of 'Bestialit', producing brutal, guitar-dominant death metal. Metal Age Productions were introduced to the group and through the company, the group released their first CD, a split CD with the band Dehydrated. The band soon went on to drop their original name and took up their new name of Lunatic Gods. After some time, the Italian label Polyphemus Records offered them a contract for their debut album "Inhuman And Insensible" which was finally brought out in the spring of 1996. In January of 1997 the first 3000 copies printed of the album sold out, encouraging Polyphemus Records to offer a new contract for a further two new albums. The first of these two albums was released through Metal Age Productions in the summer of 1997, titled 'Sitting By The Fire'. This CD was later re-released in 2003 by Hrom Records and included two bonus tracks that were recorded for the 'The Wilderness' album in 2000 but were never released.
The tracklisting is as follows:
1. Dead But Free
2. I'll Never Betray
3. Smile
4. Return Of Deads Thoughts - Instrumental
5. The World Is Full Of Lies
6. Ocean Of Hatred
7. Echoes Of Sadness
8. Sitting By The Fire
9. At The Threshold Of Life
10. Irreparable
11. Counfounded In Dust Of Sin
12. Show Me Your Soul
The album shows the band developing their diverse style, with ten tracks of atmospheric, brutal, black/death metal with a melodic and atmospheric approach. The band have again incorporated a whole host of different instruments and effects to construct the atmospheric effect of the songs. Now a six-piece band, you can hear the complex layers to the tracks and the creative songwriting that went on to construct these original and inspired numbers.
Some moments to the album are particularly cheesy but this only adds to the charm of the CD. The intro to the track "The World Is Full Of Lies" is a perfect example of this, with its electronic keyboard and '80s style organ starting off the track before the raging speed of the band race in with their powerful and aggressive sound.
Lunatic Gods' signature atmospheric and ambient calm before the raging storm is applied time and time again on the album. The guitar solo parts do start to become a little too mundane and dominant in places, along with the use of the keyboards which appear through the CD.
Not the best Lunatic Gods album, but it's still an enjoyable listen. If you are new to the band I would recommend either their debut album Inhuman and Insensible first or the monsterous 2002 album The Wilderness.
Dreadlocksmile's review and ratings | 514 words
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