Review by Adam M on February 7, 2017.

Emptiness performs a morose form of metal that is very much what Katatonia would be like if they played darker.  The songs are brooding and take time to develop.  There is a very dark atmosphere to the songs on display here and they have the ability to arch over top of you with this aspect.  The music is nice for a certain mood that is more foreboding and evil. 

The singer of these songs has a deep voice that is appropriate for the type of music being performed, but somewhat strange.  The entirety of the tracks has a very hollow sound that is conducive to the type of atmosphere the band is going for.  This is appropriate and matches the aims of the band.  They are certainly going for a depressing feeling with the songs and the claustrophobic aura accompanies this nicely.  The problem with the album is that it is at times too sparse and seems to drag on for periods of time.  This happens several times during the tracks and brings them down from a higher plane to a slightly lower one.  The lack of consistency with the mood means the band is unable to match Katatonia’s better music and is relegated to a second tier in stature.  The track It Might Be is a highlight with its dark and encompassing atmosphere. 

The band is able at times to maintain this mood, but often the music feels like it's just stretching out moments that aren’t as strong as the remainder.  So, while there is some effectiveness to be found, one would wish for the band to be more unvarying in its moments that are able to bring out the darkness effectively.  As such, Not For Music only gets a moderate recommendation to those looking for atmospheric metal that has similarities to Katatonia and My Dying Bride. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Brian on January 15, 2014.

Ramhorn is a one man band project of guitarist/vocalist Dectro from Greece. It started out out as a traditional doom band releasing two albums. 2005's Crystal Vanity and 2007's Damaged Equilibrium, both of which received poor reviews. Dectro took 7 years off and revamped his sound, giving doom metal up for 1980's thrash metal with a blackened vocal approach.

Lykophos is the third full length from Ramhorn. After several listens nothing really stands out. It's not a terrible album and it is definitely an improvement from the first two, but it's not memorable in any way. I must also state that I am not into the retro thrash movement, so those that are may find this interesting. Most of the ten tracks are mid-paced with a couple that have a little speed to them. The vocals are on the harsh side, but the words are clearly pronounced, think Chuck Schuldiner . In fact his voice even resembles Chuck.

Ramhorn has made improvements with Lykophos, but aren't quite there yet. Those who like the retro thrash movement will find value in the album. He is proficient at playing the instruments and the production is good. Dectro is finding his sound and had improved with each release. He is more suited in playing thrash than he is playing doom. I hope that he continues on this path and further refines his sound on the next release.

Categorical Rating Brakedown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 7
Originality: 4
Overall: 4.5

Rating: 5.5 out of 10