Review by JD on December 16, 2016.

I am a fan of old school black metal - Venom and early Bathory are some of the acts that got me into it in the first place. I do love many of the Norwegian acts as well (Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone), but the original Satan stompers are who I enjoy.

Darkenhold is a French act that evokes the nastiest of black metal around, but still had a sense of melody that is actually refreshing. Cold, harsh and brutal in the utmost, the band extends a bloodied hand to the dark lord in welcoming. I was fascinated as hell listening to Darkenhold and hearing certain things I always thought black metal needed. Songs like 'Strongholds Eternal Rivalry' and 'Glorious Horns' were nasty slabs of black metal… and yet had wonderful melody that made it stand out in the glut of BM. I particularly liked the track 'Mountains Wayfaring Call'… as they added in some Viking/folk metal to add to the bands amazing output.

This album has become one of my favorites in the BM genre, and I hold up as a classic. I am sure this will satisfy both the black metal community, as well as those out there who generally don't get into the genre. Darkenhold is the real deal.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jack on April 10, 2002.

My initial thoughts when I first listened to Paragon of Beauty is how much of a strong resemblance to Katatonia their second full-length album “Comfort Me, Infinity” is. The second the opening riff of ‘This Impossible Moment’ started up, I immediately thought of Katatonia and their last release. Many comparisons to Katatonia will likely result when more and more people hear Paragon of Beauty. However while the similarities are considerable in number, there are enough subtle differences to warrant “Comfort Me, Infinity” and definite listen.

Whereas Katatonia did strive for the longing and angst of human emotion, Paragon of Beauty successfully tap the resource that is the human mind and create a somewhat tortured (tortured in a good way) existence of some 40-50 odd minutes on a CD. The real beauty of “Comfort Me, Infinity” is that it immediately draws in and demands the listeners attention, unlike the aforementioned band, who need to work for the listener’s attention and was not immediately captivating.

The pace of “Comfort Me, Infinity” is fairly monotone and monotonous to an extent, and lures the listener into a false state of mind-set when all of a sudden, Paragon of Beauty erupt into a calamity of wispy screams that cry out in agony and completely shell-shock the listener from the normal pedestrian values that Paragon of Beauty seem to have.

Whilst not perhaps the heaviness or hardness that other bands do have in Paragon of Beauty’s field of music, one cannot deny their talent and creative ability in writing interesting lyrics. If I had a stamp of approval, “Comfort Me Infinity” would certainly deserve a big blob of ink.

Bottom Line: Completely solid and sound melancholic rock from Paragon of Beauty with enough surprises to keep the listener interested to the end.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 7
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 7.5 out of 10