The opening of the album (and parts throughout, really – like all of "Path..." and the outro that sounds more like a segue) invokes Glenn Danzig’s "Black Aria" and then gives way to a tinny sounding guitar accompanied by electronic drumming and keyboards. In fact, the keyboard parts often sound out of place, being more akin to something from an early 90s Nintendo video game than anything Metal. When not emulating Rygar (a game for the NES), the keyboards are heavily atmospheric but in a monotonous way. The vocals are of the guttural variety and difficult to decipher, not that this is a problem as it works with the music. The guitar work is quite simplistic but mostly effective, if out of rhythm and not in time in various spots throughout.

Nothing is really glaringly bad, production cues aside, though nothing is terribly strong either. That aside, one must appreciate the effort put into the musical vision of Musaka even if the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Ultimately Boris would do well to find some band mates. The overly electronic sound of the drums, and the drum programming itself, really detracts from some otherwise decent riffs. This is definitely a good start, particularly for a very do-it-yourself project that aims high. With an actual band this could go somewhere interesting. As it is, though, this sounds like a pre-production demo.

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 40.35