Agathodaimon
"Blacken the Angel"
Label: Nuclear Blast
Year: 1998
Genre: Black Metal
Origin: Germany
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Track List:
1. Tristetea Vehementa
2. Banner of Blasphemy
3. Near Dark
4. Ill of Imaginary Guilt
5. Die Nacht des Unwesens
6. Contemplation Song
7. Sfintit Cu Roua Suferintii
8. Stingher / Alone
9. After Dark
10. Ribbons / Requiem
Imagine mixing Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir and you've got Agathodaimon. The vocals and certain melodic parts sound like Dimmu, but the keyboards and guitars sound a bit like CoF. The vocals are definitely black metal, there's no doubt about that. Fortunately, this band has added some female vocals and orchestras to their sound to add a bit of uniqueness. "Contemplation Song" is a orchestra instrumental, and a wonderful song in my opinion. "Near Dark" is another of my favorites on this album: it is 15:37 minutes long, but it has plenty of tempo, vocal, and even language changes to keep it interesting (they write/sing in English, German, and Romanian). I think the female vocals in this song are beyond excellent. At first, it just might sound like another black metal band, but if you listen carefully, you'll realize the greatness of this band. The reason I gave them a 4.5 is because at times, the vocals are a bit too much - they tend to dominate the sound. Personally, I would like to hear more keyboards, female vocals, and orchestrated parts and less straight black metal.
Here are some translations I got from a German friend of mine. (More coming in the future)
Die nacht des unwesens: The Night of Nuisance (lyrics)
Sfintit Cu Roua Suferintii (Geweiht mit dem Tau des Leidens): Sacred with the Dew of Suffering
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