Review by Krys on March 1, 2014.

I guess I have to get used to be expecting the unexpected from French Psygnosis. I really just started getting into their 2013 EP "Sublimation" with its very atmospheric and emotional aura to be really kicked in my behind with new full-length "Human Be[ing]". Well, with songs spanning on average over 10 minutes it's not all full death metal assault here but don't expect hugging your puppy while listening to this either.

In short 2014 Psygnosis is less industrial, less melancholic and more pissed off. First track, except opening and ending with clean guitars, rips through the speakers with blasts and growls like there's no tomorrow, 'Resurrection' has more Gojira style to it with a progressive touch and even clean vocals are delivered here over blastbeats. Finally 'Lost In Oblivion' gives us some breathing room with eerie landscapes over spoken words and with mostly slow to mid tempos but don't close your eyes just yet cause every couple minutes you'll get slapped in your face. 'SilƎnt' doesn't start that silent either… you get the picture. Psygnosis just does whatever they feel like and however they feel like but it all works out at the end and it's not just genre mixing for sake of mixing, you can sense real passion and conviction in their work. There are no music boundaries or styles they won't try to deliver the message, and I love it.

This music might not be for everyone but if you're open minded and not afraid to venture outside genre's limits give them a try, you won't regret it and I'm not talking about just "Human Be[ing]" here. Listen to their last few releases and you'll find something different in each one of them.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 10 (this is based on the whole catalog not just this release)
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Jeger on June 11, 2025.

To make an impact on today’s international Black Metal scene is not an easy feat. The underground is boiling over with bands who’ve made it their mission to become or remain relevant in such a competitive climate. The Polish scene is a noble one indeed: Thunderbolt (defunct), Deus Mortem and Mgla are but a few mentionable names, and their contributions have been remarkable to say the least. Their expeditions into the realms of Satanism, rebellion and misanthropy have been legendary. How can one compete? Starogard Gdański, Pomerania’s Dione has released its debut record, Astrolatry, and project visionary, LDB, is up for the challenge. It was released on March 15, 2025 independently.

To explore the stars and to relinquish the spirit over to the majesty of the cosmos. This has been the idea behind Dione’s music since the project’s inception, just two years ago. The mysterious vastness of the universe as inspiration for epics like the opening title track. Just over 7:00 worth of introspective and otherworldly material. A grande fanfare to usher in the rest of the album. As complicated as the logistics of a functional galaxy are some parts of Astrolatry, simplistic as the way stars burn with gas during others. 'Prometheus, Thou Absorbing The Starlight' - feeling a little bit like Inquisition’s “Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm” LP: sinister, mystifying and dangerous. Like a swirling sonic vortex of riffs in synergy with California earthquake-level rhythms. Tempestuous above and violent below. And without a second’s reprieve does this - the finest track on the record - provide.

I appreciate how the record’s cosmic themes don’t influence the music too much. Is there anything worse than Labyrinthus Stellarum? Here, we have conventional Black Metal that happens to thrust and heave, twist and turn with the energy of a meteor as it crashes through the atmosphere. 'Hesperia Planum' tears through your cerebrum with urgency; creating suspense, terror even as it invokes images of a cosmic storm raging through our galaxy; disrupting orbits and disintegrating dark matter; causing a galactic catastrophe of rapturous magnitude…

LDB is a genuine talent and one Hell of a songwriter. Eight epic compositions, one single purpose, to awe you as one would be awed by Aurora Borealis or perhaps an Alien invasion. 37 minutes worth of Black Metal for pondering existence or for stargazing. Can you feel it? Forgotten recesses of your imagination coming alive; causing you to see Black Metal in a different, much more vibrant light. Still aggressive and even nasty during some moments, but the majesty of it far outweighs any sort of grime or malice. A valiant offering is “Astrolatry” and a sign of great things to come out of Dione.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Jeger on June 11, 2025.

To make an impact on today’s international Black Metal scene is not an easy feat. The underground is boiling over with bands who’ve made it their mission to become or remain relevant in such a competitive climate. The Polish scene is a noble one indeed: Thunderbolt (defunct), Deus Mortem and Mgla are but a few mentionable names, and their contributions have been remarkable to say the least. Their expeditions into the realms of Satanism, rebellion and misanthropy have been legendary. How can one compete? Starogard Gdański, Pomerania’s Dione has released its debut record, Astrolatry, and project visionary, LDB, is up for the challenge. It was released on March 15, 2025 independently.

To explore the stars and to relinquish the spirit over to the majesty of the cosmos. This has been the idea behind Dione’s music since the project’s inception, just two years ago. The mysterious vastness of the universe as inspiration for epics like the opening title track. Just over 7:00 worth of introspective and otherworldly material. A grande fanfare to usher in the rest of the album. As complicated as the logistics of a functional galaxy are some parts of Astrolatry, simplistic as the way stars burn with gas during others. 'Prometheus, Thou Absorbing The Starlight' - feeling a little bit like Inquisition’s “Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm” LP: sinister, mystifying and dangerous. Like a swirling sonic vortex of riffs in synergy with California earthquake-level rhythms. Tempestuous above and violent below. And without a second’s reprieve does this - the finest track on the record - provide.

I appreciate how the record’s cosmic themes don’t influence the music too much. Is there anything worse than Labyrinthus Stellarum? Here, we have conventional Black Metal that happens to thrust and heave, twist and turn with the energy of a meteor as it crashes through the atmosphere. 'Hesperia Planum' tears through your cerebrum with urgency; creating suspense, terror even as it invokes images of a cosmic storm raging through our galaxy; disrupting orbits and disintegrating dark matter; causing a galactic catastrophe of rapturous magnitude…

LDB is a genuine talent and one Hell of a songwriter. Eight epic compositions, one single purpose, to awe you as one would be awed by Aurora Borealis or perhaps an Alien invasion. 37 minutes worth of Black Metal for pondering existence or for stargazing. Can you feel it? Forgotten recesses of your imagination coming alive; causing you to see Black Metal in a different, much more vibrant light. Still aggressive and even nasty during some moments, but the majesty of it far outweighs any sort of grime or malice. A valiant offering is “Astrolatry” and a sign of great things to come out of Dione.

Rating: 8 out of 10