Review by Luka on April 20, 2002.

Imagine if one of the world’s finest classical composers suddenly became possessed by evil and went completely insane. He continued to create brilliant works of music but the ambiance was so dark and evil that everyone who heard it had to plug their ears lest they go mad themselves. The music had a beautiful yet malignant form of grace and majesty. It was music that seeped from the Hell itself and its magnitude was fearful to behold. Do you get a slight idea of what Limbonic Art are all about? Interested? Read on...

This is an album that takes heavy metal to realms no one has ever imagined, realms of profound darkness where few are inclined to follow them. Limbonic Art are one of the rare, precious gems in the immense sea of Scandinavian extreme metal that I am eternally grateful to have discovered, and I hope you will be too if I convince you to buy this godly album.

The foundation of Limbonic Art lies in keyboards, but don’t make the mistake of linking them to Emperor or, god forbid, Cradle of Filth. The aforementioned use keyboards to shape and enhance black metal while the only use for black metal Limbonic Art have is to slightly structure and anchor down their scary, genius keyboard-driven lunacy. The vast multitude of unearthly sounds envelop the listener in strange, haunting atmospheres that conjure up visions of anything from cold and distant astral planes (which the cover suggests) to ancient, lost kingdoms of the past, blasting us full-force all the while with cold and crushing percussion effects.

The sound of Limbonic Art thrives on the fine bond of classical, black metal and even techno. While many black and death metal bands only play around with classical music, Limbonic Art are not afraid to launch right into full-blown orchestral parts that will last for minutes. The classical presence makes the music powerful and awe-inspiring while the predictable homeland sound of Norwegian black metal totally saturates it with evil and darkness. The 12-minute 'Deathtrip to a Mirage Asylum' epic along with the mighty 'When Mind and Flesh Depart' are the two gems I especially treasure.

Bottom Line: A unique bond of black metal and powerful classical music. I’m not a fan of keyboards in metal but this album is simply brilliant!

Originality: 9.5
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.5 out of 10