Bal Sagoth
Atlantis Ascendant

But how is it possible that on this "cursed" site there isn't at least a single review discussing Bal Sagoth? I must immediately remedy this gap, hoping that someone after me will expand the information in favor of this very unique Black Metal formation (note, not in the true sense of the term) which hails from England and despite their extremely high quality has remained in the shadows of their compatriots Cradle of Filth.
First of all, let's say that Bal Sagoth plays a unique mix of symphonic black metal with an epic and warlike flavor, with fantasy themes, perhaps invented by the fertile mind of Lord Byron, the band's singer, around whom gather the Maudling brothers respectively on guitar and keyboards, Mark Greenwell on bass, and a powerful Dave Mackintosh, a sort of human metronome behind the drums. Each member diligently collaborates with their instrument to create the band's personal sound made of complex symphonic orchestrations that give sublimity to their sound, sharp and intense guitar riffs, and pounding and hyper-fast drum parts that would make some well-known "extreme hitters" envious.
The album I'm about to present is the fifth in their "alternative" career as musicians (in fact, it seems that some members already have other primary professions), released in 2001 with Nuclear Blast's bosses under the title "Atlantis Ascendant", and it talks about the myth of Atlantis.

But let's see how the album is structured: 10 tracks of epic/black metal with singular and very long titles such as track number 6 for example "The splendour of a thousand swords gleaming beneath the blazon of the hyperborean empire part 3" is that long enough for you?
Let's leave this parenthesis and focus on following the chronological order of the album. "The epsilon exordium" is a well-crafted orchestral intro, full of emphasis and massive in its impact, dragging us onto a battlefield with futuristic helmets and swords worthy of "Star Wars"; the following "Atlantis Ascendant" bursts onto the stereo like a machine gun burst, and we can immediately savor black rides with a hint of "maiden-esque" riffs, a very present but never overwhelming keyboard backdrop, and a continuous pounding without hesitation or uncertainty. Let's not forget the masterful interpretation of the lyrics by the singer Byron, always there to narrate now mightily now reflectively, the chronicles of Atlantis.
The album proceeds this way throughout its duration, between sudden accelerations, warlike marches, unpredictable tempo changes, and even some instrumental episodes like "The ghosts of Angkor Wat", an echo of sounds that seem to come from an underground cave.
The absolute best episodes of this album are the title track, track number 4 "Star maps of the ancient cosmographers", "Draconis Albionesis", and especially "The dreamer in the catacombs of Ur", where halfway through a perfectly fitting pan flute breaks in, exuding pagan and wild thanks to a stunning melody.
The result of this effort produced by Bal Sagoth is not the pinnacle of their productions: they have churned out masterpieces like "Battlemagic" and "The power cosmic", but in this case, it means that this time the English formation has only narrowly brushed the perfection previously achieved. Perhaps the more orthodox black metallers might be bothered by the singer Lord Byron's voice (still an excellent "actor" behind the microphone) because it seems a bit "affected," but we can't be sure (and then there exist vocalists who suck live while in the studio they rock); what is certain is that Bal Sagoth is a band that really knows how to play and deserves more consideration.