Cerberus

The offspring of half-serpent Echidna and the fire-breathing giant known as Typhon, Cerberus is a 3-headed beast that guarded the gates to the underworld. He made sure that no soul passed the River Styx. Like the stories of this mythological beast, Darkside of Innocence's "Cerberus" is an epic single running 12:25 with three different heads or sections.

The first section is what I consider very "proggy". Donning a mid-paced tempo, non-linear guitar work, and continually building up and progressing, this section has some nice guitar work accompanied by both grim vocals and beautiful female singing. What this part leads up to is the second "head" or section of the single. The transition from the first part to the second is made up of the same middle paced rhythms, this time with clean guitars, then finally leads into a chaotic guitar riff. From this we have a otherworldly monologue before reintroducing the heavenly female vocals once again. The third part will definitely be more comfortable to fans of D.O.I. with a more familiar symphonic black metal style. This brings out the aggressive side that this band is very capable of, but doesn't completely ditch that progressive feeling. When I first heard of D.O.I., I listened to their Infernum Liberus EST album and was completely blown away. I absolutely loved their symphonic brand of black metal with the very ethnic touches of Portugal accenting the music. The female vocals and monologue were incredibly sexy and brought forth a romantic sense to black metal. As a fan of this band, I must admit that Cerberus is a great composition. It simply is too non-linear and doesn't have enough steady brutality or aggression for my liking. It does a great job displaying D.O.I.'s writing capabilities with great guitar solos, riffs, and female vocals, but it doesn't display the band's true abilities as it is only one track with pretty much one aspiration. If you have heard Infernum Liberus EST already and want some foresight as to what direction this band is heading, then you won't be disappointed. If you haven't heard the first album yet, then listen to this single knowing that you aren't getting the full aspect of the band, just one epic masterpiece that has the band touching new ground.

ORIGINALLY REVIEWED FOR: Adrenaline Metal Union www.adrenalinfanzine.com