November 07, 2002
Arcturus: The Sham Mirrors
CD, Ad Astra 2002
Track list: Kinetic - Nightmare Heaven - Ad Absurdum - Collapse Generation - Star-Crossed - Radical Cut - For to End Yet Again
Black metal isn't the best classification for this many-faced album. As in their previous work, Arcturus hasn't chosen the easiest way out. The Sham Mirrors proves that they are still in the very front of the progressive, out-reaching metal music. There are traces of their black metal past, but their influences are wider than that: electronics and trip-hop are two that spring to my mind first. It's difficult, perhaps even more so than their previous album La Masquerade Infernale, but nonetheless excellent. *****
Category: Black/Death metalThis album is the quintessence of the music of Chaos! Ah... what can I say!? The best metal album in years! In my ears it is their best release to this date,,, sophisticated, beautiful, insane,,, chaotic, sinister, techniqal, yet so powerful. This is an album that gets better for each listening, and there is to few of these kind of albums around these days in the metal genre.
Arcturus might be the brightest star in the metal sky!
/Saibot
Posted by: Saibot on July 1, 2003 11:01 PMPost-black metal, in fact post-metal, post-everything and yet so refreshingly convincing. Postmodern surreality wrapped and dipped in all color pots of popular music.
Posted by: Grregor SSamsa on July 7, 2003 07:51 PMThis album is the most amazing unique black/progressive metal I've ever heard...Io Arcturus.
Posted by: Mike on March 29, 2004 10:27 AM