Urotsukidoji's Pad - Usa Holy Tap-Dancing-Christ!! This album hit me like a ton of bricks. You know, I still don't expect any great Metal to materialize out of my home country (Canada), even though I have many CDs in my collection that showcase this lands Metal talent, I still always look to European bands to kick my ass. So when a blistering slab of Black-Metal from my own back yard shows up unexpected, I'm always taken a little aback. This is what most would call Symphonic Black-Metal, in the same line as say Cradle Of Filth, but minus the face paint, and theatrics. These guys are more of the "black T-shirt & spikes" type dudes. The band formed in '98, put out a demo in '01, called "Le Regne Du Seigneur De Perdition", went through a load of line up changes, and then finally got this, their first full-length CD out in 2003. The songs should appeal to fans of bands like Cradle, and Dimmu Borgir, but also to fans of "true" or old-school Black-Metal, as the keys are not over used, and have a sound that is closer to old organs, than the actual synthesizers that are being used. After the initial mellow, keyboard intro, we are blasted into realms of lust and extreme hatred, which are punctuated by moments of darkened melody, and shattered, by blasts of insane speed. The vocal style is a cross between your typical Black-Metal gremlin type voice, and that which was once used by Canadian Industrial-Metalists "Malhavoc", remember them? A great first effort, and a band you should definitely know about. For more info on this fantastic band, check 'em out at www.obscurcis.com RATING = 8 Black-Metal (Released 2003) http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/6514/cdreviewsobscurcis.html BACK