Dirge of Death's Silence

I first wrote a review of this release only days after hearing it, and cannot help regretting my haste. Not that it's anything below excellent, but I feel that in my excitement about the band being from the US (not Scandinavia, as one would expect) and the breathtaking keyboard-supported riffs, I forgot about the fleetingness of all first impressions. So here's a more down-to-earth review, focusing on the many strong points as well as on the minimal weaknesses to be found on "DIRGE OF DEATH’S SILENCE".

This album is incredibly reminiscent of Emperor's "In the Nightside…", and as I stated in my first review, it definitely surpasses the Norwegians' masterpiece soundwise and atmospherewise, thanks to the fact that the keyboards do not devour the guitars and force them into the background. The brilliance of both albums remains undeniable, even if from a historical point of view, Emperor are undoubtedly the masters, while BLOODSTAINED DUSK simply draw inspiration from the masters' contribution to the birth of modern Black Metal. Perhaps production and mixing are to be blamed for the fact that "DIRGE OF..." sounds better on CD/LP than the 1994 cult album, who knows? I sure don't.

My only reservation about BLOODSTAINED DUSK 's release lies in it being too easy to explore and memorize. After a week of listening, one feels the album has no more secrets to reveal and nothing more to offer. Such is, in my opinion, the problem of all so-called atmospheric BM. Nevertheless, provided that you listen to it a reasonable number of times and do not abuse things, you will end up placing it in your CD deck whenever you feel like experiencing majestic Black Metal beauty.