Review by Dominik on February 1, 2025.

First impressions can be misleading, and hindsight sometimes isn't kind. There are albums that grow on you, revealing their full brilliance over time. And then there are albums like Anihorim, which start strong, only to unravel with each subsequent listen. Anheim's debut is firmly in the latter camp. What initially felt like a treasure—gold, or at least silver—quickly revealed itself to be more akin to bronze. By the third listen, that bronze had oxidized into rusty metal, and whatever charm the album initially held gave way to flaws simmering just beneath the surface. It was like discovering that your fancy, super hyped Dubai chocolate is in fact from Turkey and the cocoa content is not 70, but 17 percent. The lesson here? Don't let the power of a first impression cloud your judgement. Do not rush to finish a review, just to be the first, the fastest or both. A hasty assessment might crown a mediocre album with undeserved praise.

Let's revisit my initial reaction. At first, Anheim's debut struck me as a well-produced melodic black metal record. The first half sometimes flirts with death metal riffing—the opener and "Scherbenstimmen" ("Shard Voices"), especially during the slower parts, being the most notable examples—while the second half puts more emphasis on creating atmosphere. Subtle keyboards appear in tracks like "Am Rande Der Katharsis" ("At the Edge of Catharsis"), the strongest track on the album. This song demonstrates how a recurring riff, reflected in both keyboard melodies and the piano outro, can create cohesion and elevate a composition. The harsh vocals add a sharp counterpoint to the melodic instrumentation, and the blend of blast beats and slower sections creates a well-paced dynamic. Even the lyrics stand out and go beyond the typical black metal run-off-the-mill lyricism of evil, sacrifice, inverted crosses and ugly witches. They are more introspective and original: an exploration of inner torment and devotion to Surgtoh, the enigmatic "black one".

So far, so good—or so it seemed. What my subconsciousness already noticed though, became obvious to a degree that it started to grate my nerves. Over time, the album's weaknesses became glaringly apparent. For one, there's no true standout track, that one song you'll come back to months later. While "Am Rande Der Katharsis" and the closer, "Blendwerk" (Illusion), are stronger than most, neither delivers the kind of punch that compels you to revisit the album. Without a true highlight, the rest of the album blends together like black metal wallpaper: ominous, sure, but unmemorable and it struggles to rise above its own mediocrity.

Then there's my issue with the production, which initially feels just polished but soon reveals its artificial edges. The double bass drums sound triggered to the point of being robotic, and I'd wager a good chunk of my last salary that the band didn't have a live drummer in the studio. The guitars are a mixed bag, too. When diving into death metal-inspired riffing, they sound dull and hollow, as if recorded in a hollow pipe. In contrast, when the guitars go into full black metal mode—as in "Im Verließ Der Seele" ("In the Dungeon of the Soul")—they showcase clever melodies and feel far more natural. These stylistic inconsistencies disrupt the songs' and the album's flow and muddy its identity.

And then there are the vocals. This is what really drove the performance below the 70 points rating mark (which constitutes in my book this magical threshold that makes me come back to an album from time to time). They are harsh, aggressive, and textbook black metal, but entirely devoid of expression and utterly one-dimensional. They deliver rage and malevolence, yes, but my electric razor, frankly, offers a wider emotional range. It's a shame, because a strong frontman who can inject some personality and depth into their delivery could elevate this material substantially. Here, the monotony of the performance drags everything down.

To be fair, Anihorim is a debut, and debut albums are rarely flawless. There's potential here as Anheim clearly knows how to craft melodies and atmospheres that could work, and their lyrical themes show ambition beyond the usual satanic clichés. With time, they may find their footing and refine their sound into something truly memorable.

In the end, I feel both glad and sad that I didn't review Anihorim right away. Glad, because it allowed me to adjust my judgement, but sad, the band that undoubtedly put so much effort into the album ultimately could not live up to the strong first impression made. A solid debut? Perhaps. A lasting one? Doubtful.

Rating: 6.8 out of 10, because first impressions can be like Tinder dates—promising, but sometimes disappointing.

Review by Death8699 on February 3, 2019.

Almost an hour of vintage Cradle of Filth. The intensity, darkness, riff writing, vocals, and more deserve praise on this release. No song on here is lacking in any way as they put forth something so unequivical reflecting a bit upon their older work, but a little less intensity here though the music is surely the highlight. Atmospheric too and Dani's vocals are varied quite immensely. Not as high pitched as on Dusk...And Her Embrace, they are still good despite that fact. They didn't really slow down here, I think that the guitar reigns on this one. Almost as good as Dusk, but not quite there.

There are blast beats, intensely made guitar action seemed to be in D-tuning as it sounds like, and variety in the vocal work. It's one release by this band that really hits a hold of vengeance and unmerciful outputs. Something that's lacking in their later works, although their newest has featured mixed ratings. Restoring the edge of the extreme gothic metal scene, COF is domineering and merciless on Midian. They really belt out some of the most rad guitar riffs which fit perfect with the vocals. They are simply some of the most memorable guitar work on here that really packs a punch.

Never boring, never ceasing to amaze, COF really intrigues me in the best way possible. Most of the songs feature great rhythms and there is a heavy use of synthesizers that accompany the music. It really is a damn good extreme gothic metal release. An album that I could never get sick of hearing though there are parts where there is no guitar, just atmospheric synthesizers with Dani's high end vocals. Not as intense as Dusk, but the guitar still to me is quite original sounding. What I always look for in a band is the music itself. If it falls short on that measure, then the whole album suffers. Midian captivates me.

A lot of low end vocals spewing forth rigorous lyrical topics constructed by Dani alone. He doesn't lose his outstanding vocal duties with a nemesis here, he puts together an output that simply reigns. I'd say that there was a big use of the synthesizers here, but that's to create an atmosphere that simply dominates. It doesn't drown out the guitar work. It really augments it and fills it with something so irreperable. Midian to me is one of their greatest releases ever. The production simply reigns and all of the instruments here are well mixed in together and they all flow with magic.

If you want a kick ass COF album that in no way bores you or leaves you disappointed, then Midian is it. Simply captivating piece of work. Everything about the album to me is irreplaceable. So much atmosphere, doom and destruction in the music and to the listener's ear. It really hits home to me. If you dislike all of the synthesizers and low end vocals, forget all of that and just listen to how well they blend everything in together to make it an outstanding album. Nothing negative to say about this one, it really packs a punch in one's metal collection. Own it immediately!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Jack on September 30, 2001.

After one of the most promising introductions I’ve ever heard, in ‘At the Gates of Midian’, in a black metal record I was really getting quite exciting, had Cradle of Filth suddenly become an awesome prospect in the metal world?? My questions were certainly answered comprehensively when ‘Cthulhu Dawn’ broke into chorus. ‘Cthulhu Dawn’ certainly had a lot to live up to in ‘At the Gates of Midian’ and unfortunately did not live up to them at all. And five tracks after ‘Cthulhu Dawn’ things were certainly looking bleak for “Midian”.

Finally and thankfully track number eight kicks in, ‘Her Ghost in the Fog’, is upon us and rewards one for persevering through six tracks of utter crap, with a spellbinding masterpiece. ‘Her Ghost in the Fog’ may well be one of Cradle of Filth’s most definitive moments musically. Dani’s vocals in conjunction with guest female vocalist, Sarah Jezebel Deva, are pure harmony and art in dark music. It is, for this track alone, that Cradle of Filth should employ her as the seventh member of their dark brethren. Sarah would add so much more diversity to a band that I feel is becoming tired and obsolete.

The musical input on “Midian” is very similar to Cradle of Filth’s last output, in “Cruelty and the Beast”, the normal over-the-top theatrical horror musings on the keyboards are readily heard through every song on “Midian” as was the case with “Cruelty and the Beast”. Those quality but uninspiring guitar riffs are heard consistently through “Midian” too. Nick Barker shifted camps to Dimmu Borgir for “Midian” and as a result, Cradle of Filth’s solid and illustrious drumming techniques heard through four albums will now become a closed chapter.

Bottom Line: If one enjoyed “Cruelty and the Beast” one will then tend to find solace within “Midian’s” dark shores of agony and pain. But if one did not find their solace within “Cruelty and the Beast”, then one had best seek their solace in different metal worlds.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10