BlackLight

I partially agree with the opinion on the orchitis caused by Neptune With Fire. There, the blame also lay with a production full of flaws (the guitar solo in Neptune With Fire, in terms of how it's played and mixed, is bordering on embarrassing), the naivety of this band on their first album, and some good ideas developed in the wrong way (simply repeating the same themes ad libitum, sometimes a bit faster, sometimes a bit slower, sometimes with a slightly more prominent drum, sometimes a bit more subdued...).
Believe me when I say that this album is different... in my opinion, they took all the good ideas sketched out in Neptune With Fire and developed them in a more mature way, with musical influences coming from multiple realms, a better musical production, and a greater awareness of their means and instruments (therefore, no more embarrassing solos as seen in the predecessor) contributing to the creation of a compact, homogeneous sound and a more "post" soundscape with decidedly more mature stoner-doom-prog influences.

How good they are at criticizing an excellent review of a truly original and inspired album... the opinions expressed about metalheads are certainly not clichés. Most metalheads today still rave about Iron Maiden or Metallica years or decades after the release of their works, and they idolize bands that can no longer offer anything original. They instead snub groups like these, perhaps because they are too 'experimental', or maybe because they don't embody the 'naked and pure' ideals they see in metal... this album requires a great open-mindedness to be truly appreciated, an open-mindedness that not everyone possesses.

Guys, how beautiful are the last two minutes of Cantus Chiristi? At first listen, I didn't pay much attention, but after listening to the album more and more, I can't help but listen to that piece at least 3-4 times a day... a piece with the most authentic death metal fury that towards the end fades away and gives way to simple and essential classical guitar arpeggios, accompanied by violins, only to hit hard with the instrumental Zenith... simply sublime...

Hehe I sent this review the day before yesterday, when in theory the other two hadn't been published yet :D

A complete disappointment. I've never been thrilled by the sound of TON and their tendency to lean too much towards easy melodies and slightly more commercial sounds, but songs like "Love You to Death" had really convinced me of this band's validity in the past. This album is nice to dance to in a rock club, appealing to both the more polished goth fans of HIM, Therion, or Tiamat, and the more straightforward punk/hardcore fans. It’s pleasant enough to listen to, nothing more; it's fundamentally a record low on pretensions (what's that "This recording is by Type O Negative" that you hear every 2 minutes?? What a pathetic attempt at self-promotion...).

Big, big, big. The long one has an emotional weight that truly has few rivals, the notes of All alone then, with that almost whispered singing, stay etched in your mind. And the atmospheres that pervade the whole album... I've discovered them only recently but I'm already in love with this record.

A DVD simply with bells on, I believe few bands in the world have such mastery of the stage, technical prowess, and visual impact as they do. The only thing to criticize perhaps (speaking as an aficionado) is the presence of only one track from Scenes from a Memory, in my opinion one of their best works, and... the absence of Pull me Under, I mean! For the rest, I too was left astonished by the orchestral arrangements.
I saw them last year in concert in Bologna and I really enjoyed them, but that concert was nothing compared to this one in New York...

I’ve added two samples from the record, just to give you a bit of an idea of what this Memorandum is all about!

I would say this is a completely different record from the others they’ve made. Before Memorandum, their sound was an honest, somewhat raw gothic that drew from various influences. After Memorandum (let’s say from "Burning: A Wish" onward), however, they began their downward trend, moving towards a frivolous "goth'n'roll" that was chart-friendly, akin to acts like HIM, and they also lost all their metal characteristics. But this, instead, is the album of musical maturity, and I truly believe I am not exaggerating by calling it a masterpiece. I referenced "The Silent Enigma" a lot because I have judged this album, from the very first listen, to be somewhat its spiritual heir. It takes up the romantic and decadent atmospheres of Anathema’s work, the style of the guitars, and especially Cavanagh’s voice, which at times is pained and at other times furious, while adding many more orchestral and lyrical elements that are much more gothic and "avant-garde."
When I browsed the internet and found enthusiastic reviews giving this album full marks, I was also perplexed, since at the time I had only listened to "Ave End" and "Burning: A Wish," works that had left me mostly indifferent. But once I listened to it, I had to completely rethink my stance...

There are languages and languages to use, and using a "fucking" and a "shit" every other word is not at all the most appropriate language to review Miles Davis. Moreover, you can't possibly compare Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins to Miles Davis... but it's not just a matter of taste: it's a matter of genre relevance! It's like comparing Morningrise by Opeth to Mozart's Requiem: both are masterpieces but belong to two totally irreconcilable universes. And to define Kind of Blue as "the perfect album for fucking," well... maybe try reading my review of "The Man with the Horn" by Miles Davis. I'm not claiming to be a great reviewer, but when it comes to jazz, and Miles in particular, I at least try to use the appropriate language.