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Supreme astral darkness. That is the atmosphere created on "Ad Noctum Dynasty Of Death". With the aid of dark-electronic synth work and programmed drums, Limbonic Art creates their own brand of black metal infused with an extremely cold and dark mood. This certainly is not black metal for everyone, however. There is quite a bit of synth work here. A lot of it is fairly traditional symphonic melodies and countermelodies, but there are also quite a few ambient and dark-electronic sections that create the unique atmosphere. The other turn-off point may be the programmed drumming. Limbonic Art simply don't hire session drummers; instead they themselves program all of the drum parts and use a drum machine. This enhances the overall feel of the album and makes it more cohesive, though it may spawn debates over the validity of the band's musicianship. This is just a matter of individual taste and opinion, however. Some people may like it, others may not. The drums are, however, fairly tastefully programmed. Most of the beats are quite realistic. The only drawback is the near overuse of extreme blastbeats. Quite a few songs are blastbeat-saturated, making the album occasionally sound repetitive or monotonous.
Despite its occasional monptonous spots, the album has a strong sense of movement and is quite memorable. This is often thanks to Daemon's guitar writing. There are plenty of all-out straight black metal sections, but there are also quite a few grooving progressions (as heard on the end of "Pits Of The Cold Beyond", the end of "Dynasty Of Death", and the beginning of "Behind The Darkened Walls Of Sleep") that provide a good contrast to the blasting, tremolo-picking sections that pervade the album with their cold brutality.
One of the strong points of this album is the vocal delivery. Daemon's screaming is quite powerful and emotional. Typically he uses a ragged scream-snarl, fairly standard for black metal. Every now and then, though, he unleashes a fearsome and blood-curdling howl or full-on scream. Some of these are truly chilling and approach sounding inhuman and even wolfen. There are also some clean vocals dispersed throughout the album, and they work wonderfully to lend a more round and full sound to the disc.
Lyrically Limbonic Art aren't too inspiring. A lot of the songs are pretty typical for black metal (being pervaded by darkness, the supernatural, and evil). This doesn't necessarily detract from the experience, however. Even if the lyrics aren't the most creative or inspiring, they fit the music well, and they match Daemon's and Morfeus' creative vision.
Overall, "Ad Noctum Dynasty Of Death" is a good, solid CD. The music is generally pretty traditional symphonic/melodic black metal, except for the extremely cold and dark atmosphere and the frequent use of electronics and dark ambience. Those who like Emperor, Zyklon, and other bands in that vein would probably enjoy Limbonic Art. Those looking for more traditional straight-ahead black metal should look into Mayhem, Immortal, and Dark Funeral.
| Tracklist |
| 1. The Dark Paranormal Calling |
| 2. As The Bell Of Immolation Calls |
| 3. Pits Of The Cold Beyond |
| 4. Dynasty Of Death |
| 5. Behind The Darkened Walls Of Sleep |
| 6. The Supreme Sacrifice |
| 7. In Embers Of Infernal Greed |
| Bonus tracks: |
| 8. Enthralled By The Shrine Of Silence |
| 9. The Yawning Abyss Of Madness |
: 75.54
| Buy other Limbonic Art albums |
