Review by Adam M on August 23, 2010.

A Black Metal release that has a bit of everything in it is to be found here. There’s a symphonic quality that enraptures, but also a natural Black Metal flavour that gives the album authenticity. It creates a rich sound that is unique to Arketh’s brand of metal music. If one had to compare them to a band, however, they are somewhat similar to Emperor. There’s purity and passion to be found here that elevates the music a couple of extra notches. It would be slightly less compelling without the amount of effort the band puts forth.

The music is certainly melodic, but it’s also relatively raw as well. This should please both fans of more true Black Metal as well as those looking for something a little more adventurous. It has enough of a varied tone to appeal to a wide variety of listeners. Songs tend to be quite long to give the band the opportunity to add extra dimensions to their sound. It could be interpreted that the tracks are a little overdone, but they generally seem to remain pretty focused. There’s even an addition of female vocals to the usual Black Metal variety on some moments of the disc and they add colour.

Their epic nature is shown well in the final track 'Upon The Golden Walls Of Dreaming' that has enough twists and changes to keep you enthralled for a while. The remainder of the tracks also manage to add enough shifting charisma to keep you occupied. Though there are symphonic elements, there are also enough pure Black Metal portions to make this appeal to a variety of different kinds Black Metal fans. IX & I:The Quintessence Of Algaresh is a solid release.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 8
Overall: 7.9

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on August 23, 2010.

A Black Metal release that has a bit of everything in it is to be found here. There’s a symphonic quality that enraptures, but also a natural Black Metal flavour that gives the album authenticity. It creates a rich sound that is unique to Arketh’s brand of metal music. If one had to compare them to a band, however, they are somewhat similar to Emperor. There’s purity and passion to be found here that elevates the music a couple of extra notches. It would be slightly less compelling without the amount of effort the band puts forth.

The music is certainly melodic, but it’s also relatively raw as well. This should please both fans of more true Black Metal as well as those looking for something a little more adventurous. It has enough of a varied tone to appeal to a wide variety of listeners. Songs tend to be quite long to give the band the opportunity to add extra dimensions to their sound. It could be interpreted that the tracks are a little overdone, but they generally seem to remain pretty focused. There’s even an addition of female vocals to the usual Black Metal variety on some moments of the disc and they add colour.

Their epic nature is shown well in the final track 'Upon The Golden Walls Of Dreaming' that has enough twists and changes to keep you enthralled for a while. The remainder of the tracks also manage to add enough shifting charisma to keep you occupied. Though there are symphonic elements, there are also enough pure Black Metal portions to make this appeal to a variety of different kinds Black Metal fans. IX & I:The Quintessence Of Algaresh is a solid release.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 8
Overall: 7.9

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Luka on May 15, 2002.

There are some bands who know how to properly utilize keyboards into metal and then there are some who just don't. Dagorlad are somewhere in between, and as this is only their debut I trust that they will eventually perfect their skill and soon forge their own distinct sound. Sounding painfully similar to contemporary masters of keyboard metal like Bal Sagoth, Cradle of Filth, and Summoning, Dagorlad's sound can best be described as a mixture involving equal parts of each, but with numerous and noticeable faults.

While most of the songs start off sounding very dark and promising they soon begin to slide into cheesy clichës and pitfalls that bands like Bal Sagoth are most famous for. Trumpet sounds playing those meek flat notes immediately try to create an epic feel, but without support and song build-up the result is just a cheesy melody played by a trumpet, with a heroic voice chanting meaningless words of bravery in the windy background. It's been done before, and plenty...

It is arrangement of "The End of the Dark Ages" that weakens Dagorlad's songs the most. There is virtually no plan or direction in the song structure, instead just a meaningless procession of ongoing riff and melody and, like a surprise bag, you never know what you'll get, sometimes it's good, sometimes bad, and in the end the only clear fact is that none of it fits together. If you like your keyboard music loud and upfront, outdoing and overpowering every instrument including the guitars than this could be for you, but it is certainly not for me.

Bottom Line: The metal world could do without Dagorlad, at least until they get better. These guys make Cradle of Filth seem godly.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 5
Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 6
Overall: 3

Rating: 5.6 out of 10