Ahhh...it had been a while since I had listened to this album, which is probably one of the most underrated symphonic black metal albums to date.

Morfeus has always been my favorite keyboardist...sure, he doesn't break out into nutty Chopin-skilled scales or break down into prog-riddled bleepedy-bloop scales (and NO I'm not [completely] bashing that style.) There is talent in that style, I just don't believe it equates magnificent songwriting.

And to me, I'm quite certain the keyboarding is what influenced the songwriting. There are some very triumphant movements (eg - Wagner-esque,) and very dissonant movements as well (eg Bartok-esque,) and cold spacey atmospheres that instill a sense of despair but yet a dark sense of misanthropic thriumph.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the guitar sound at first, it sounded a little muddy/grainy, but the more I listened to it the more it grew on me, and I believe it was well balanced with the other instruments. I still find it trippy how different Daemon's bitter style of black metal vocals are in contrast to the death metal style on Zyklon's first album (too bad he couldn't have stuck around for their second.) But still, they're rash, misanthropic, and the occasional clean chants are a decent addition.

I won't get into specific reviews of each song, as I like them all just as much. This is easily still one of my favorite albums today. If you hate keyboards in black metal, and are allergic to drum machines, then this is not an album for you to check out. The songwriting, however, was too grand for me to pass up, and I was able to 'turn the other cheek' in that aspect (which isn't too often.)

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"As long as a single one of us stands, we are LEGION."
-Kain, Legacy of Kain (Blood Omen) series