Hell

Thanks to everyone :)) I still recommend that anyone planning to approach this album keeps an antiemetic handy, in case listening to it causes unpleasant side effects. You never know.

Dear Fallen, more than good faith (well, that might be there too, I'm trying to save what can be saved) it's a belief (which, of course, might turn out to be wrong or not). The fact that the spirit of the album is predominantly ridiculous I deduced not only from the music, which is too unbalanced and often baroque to be self-serving, but also by taking a look at the artwork and the lyrics in general (I got the original album at Sound Cave). Often twisted biblical references (I seem to recall one from Isaiah, but I don't have the booklet at hand to confirm it), ultra-fancy lyrics filled with invocations/curses of every kind (the very title "Maranatha" is, in my opinion, a blend of serious and jest), agitated and frenzied tones that are hard to take seriously and, to confirm this, generously scattered throughout the booklet are rather "explicit" images that hover between the macabre and the more irreverent grotesque. And in all this, the album differs from "Si Monumentum..": that, to me, was a masterpiece to be taken seriously (wobbly Latin notwithstanding), just as the band itself is. "Maranatha" is instead the grotesque and deformed version of what you and I call "Religious Black Metal," that is, an attitude of black metal that emerged in the early 2000s, which reached its peak with Deathspell Omega and their remarkable "Si Monumentum.." before quickly dissipating into nothing; in short, this phantom "Religious" has fortunately been nothing official, but a sudden "mania" that came to a few bands in the scene. The same Deathspell in their last albums/EPs seem to have set aside the sacred component to make way for something far more visceral and twisted than simple religious themes (if you haven't already, listen to their excellent last EP, "Chaining the Katechon"). And on one hand, it's better this way. In any case, this "Maranatha" certainly doesn’t aim to be the continuation of any Religious Black Metal, but rather, given its sharp grotesque charge, its end. Regards.

I’d be happy to see him. If I find him...

Certo, inviami pure il testo e procederò con la traduzione.

It has become my favorite album of the year, and not just that... I listened to it a lot during one of the darkest times I've had. I will hardly forget it.

Review spakkkaossa for an equally spakkkaossa album.

Anyway, Underworld was released for both PS2 and PS3. Initially, I got the one for PS2: it's even worse than AOD. An unimaginable piece of trash, AOD by comparison is Oscar-worthy. The one for PS3, on the other hand, seems significantly better, from what I've seen/read... Let's hope.

Legend is nice, and often the settings have their own charm (like the landscape at the beginning of the level in Ghana - "if the rest goes wrong, I can always sell postcards!"), but I finished it 100% in just a handful of hours... But it's definitely better than that crap AOD. By the way, the thing that made me feel the most pity for AOD was the novelty introduced regarding Lara's physical strength; for example, you find a locked door, but you can't smash it because you don't have the strength. But right next to it there's a garbage can: you push it, and suddenly Lara exclaims "I feel stronger!"... And just like that, you can magically break through the door... I mean, come on, it makes no sense! XD

Hi! So... If you want a 100% decadent My Dying Bride album with 0% death metal outbursts, definitely go for "The Angel and the Dark River," an undisputed masterpiece. Listen to that first. Then you can move on to "A Line of Deathless Kings" and "For Lies I Sire" (which I almost panned but apparently many liked). Both have a couple of (very brief) death moments; the rest is good quality doom/gothic. There's also "Like Gods of the Sun," which is older, but frankly, that album doesn't do much for me except for "For My Fallen Angel" and a couple of tracks here and there. I'm sorry I can't recommend masterpieces like "Turn Loose the Swans" and "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light," but if you can't stand the death element, too bad... :) As for Katatonia, staying out of death territory, any album post-"Brave Murder Day" (and there are 6 albums counting the upcoming one on November 2) would be fine, but first, listen carefully to "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Viva Emptiness." I prefer Anathema to their early doom/death days; they’re now into a sort of atmospheric rock that many judge to be inconsistent... Try "Alternative 4," the most accessible, and "Eternity," the turning point album. I’ve never listened to Tiamat in my life, and I’m not even interested in the band right now :) There are also Paradise Lost, but... For now, start with the albums I mentioned because that’s already a lot! I hope I gave you some good recommendations... Let me know if you liked "The Angel and the Dark River"! Bye!

Mmmm it didn't seem so bad to me. 3.5 :)