Review by JD on November 27, 2008.

I have to admit, after the first listen to Germany's Fall Of Serenity album, I was not very impressed at all. I had first found it to be rather average and completely mediocre in every category. I then did the normal thing when reviewing albums... I played it again awhile later.

The second playing of the CD that I did, I found that my first impression was pretty much way off the damned mark... to the point of stupidity. I can only think the reasons behind being so far off was that my brain had been abducted by some Heavy Metal hating aliens....thankfully my brains have had somehow escaped from the captivity. ( I think they were aliens that are obsessed with Celine Dion... yikes!) I was completely off the mark on that first play, and I owe FOS a big apology.

They have these amazing melodies which are very catchy, yet have the bite to really pummel people with each and every fire- laden note they produce. Fall Of Serenity leaps out at you with so many of those great hooks while the heaviness creates that balance so many bands are looking for. They are savage and attack you at every turn.

Intensity mixing with power and overall just plainly great... It all adds up to be one hell of a lethal musical combination. They take shades of Death, Thrash Metal and then add in a whole load of gut-burning aggression and fury... and release it all on the world. Fall of Serenity has given us a great album to chew on.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Jack on July 22, 2003.

Long Voyage Back for those of you who don't know (which I am assuming numbers quite a few) is the project of one Phil Gresik, also of Australian bands Destroyer 666, Hobb's Angel of Death and Bestial Warlust. For any fans of those aforementioned bands Long Voyage Back is something of a different spin on this man's passion for metal, exploring deep doomy and darkened passages, with vast progressive elements making for a rather epic record.

"Close to Animal" is devoted to bringing forward strong atmospheres that creep up; pushing starkly contrasting darkened moments together with noticeably brighter sections, effectively creating a torrid wash of emotions and textures. Combining the raw clean vocals of Phil in a rather minimalist role with these vast emotions and textures is used effectively and really adds to the atmosphere of the recording, instead of stifling the album.

Unfortunately for "Close to Animal" it does suffer from a lack of variation with the majority of tracks being of relatively the same tempo, creating a rather nonchalant and bland affair, without any noticeably memorable songs that stick in your mind. The plus side of this is that "Close to Animal" is a very even record that you will listen to from go to woe, rather than picking out a favorite track, and indeed I would assume that it was meant to be experienced as such.

Bottom Line: Vast myriads of musical influences and tastes have been used to good effect on "Close to Animal" and make for in-depth, yet rewarding experience.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

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

Rating: 7.2 out of 10