I'll admit: when I unzipped the promo folder and saw the name of the band and album, as well as the amount of spelling mistakes on my particular version of the typically medieval song titles, I did not hold high hopes for this album. Once again I fell prey to the eternal enemy of judging things by appearances, and once again I was proven wrong. Immediately upon playing the first track, "Nothing To S(l)aves" I was blown away by the depth and technicality of the sound, as well as just how well the synthetic elements blended with the traditional drums and guitars. It apparently took the sole member of the band Schrissse 6 years to write and record the album, and while the effort on his part must have been massive I am proud to report that it has paid off in full.

The French artist (for that is what he is), despite using a drum machine, has still made the percussion in the album hugely impressive by making it fast, wild and hugely technical. The feat of programming them alone is worthy of reward, let alone doing so alongside taking the roles of the rest of the band. This form of Progressive Extreme Metal makes heavy use of synthetic elements, and this is immediately clear as the first track transitions beautifully into "The Way": the electronic opening of which leads directly into some wonderfully melodic vocals. Schrissse's vocal range throughout the album ranges from clean and melodic, to high-pitched soaring screams, to deep dark death growls and it's highly impressive to hear. They seem to be mixed into the music however, so that the focus is removed from them and instead spread across all elements of the record. This works well, as it puts every sound at the front simultaneously.

The range of sounds is worthy of mention too, as "Deaf To Reason" is essentially a transitional track between the previous one and the next, containing mainly what sounds like archive audio along with some synth. Unfortunately, the following track "Final Roar" didn't play properly for me so I can't comment too extensively on it, although from the first minute or so I could get working it sounded on the same level as the rest of the album, with a powerful guitar riff to boot.

What I can do instead, is praise "Blind Cyclops" for its insane double bass which again, despite being programmed, is still hugely enjoyable to hear and shines through when combined with a long, sustained vocal note and a guitar solo that sounds like two playing at once, although I don't think that was the case. This comes after a slow, atmospheric intro which, juxtaposed with the power of the music later, creates one of the standout tracks of the record. "Swallow The Earth" is also great, with a Hard Rock-sounding intro that's brought to the next level when introduced to some soaring vocals and sporadic guitar playing. Clocking in at over 10 minutes long, it feels like a journey through a number of different tempos and styles which provide a tasty dose of variety.

"Dead And Gone" is another standout, with the slow synthetic start swan-diving into a monstrous guitar riff which is only made better alongside the harmony of screaming and death vocals that begin the outro. "Sarkoma" is an odd track, as although it is once again very good the vocals reminded me more of RAMMSTEIN than any French band, with the language sounding strangely German. A machine-gun double bass then kicks in and leads us into an outro that's reminiscent of a marching band, which both confused and delighted me all at once.

"The Void" is perhaps the only track of the record which didn't blow me away in some way, as it largely consisted of the same elements as the rest of the songs but without any kind of difference or hook like the others had. "Peace" is a 1:36 long instrumental track with a spooky piano that just oozes atmospheric tension. It then transitions fantastically into the final song "Gaïaine", which continues the same tune as the piano from "Peace" but delivers it in a thundering guitar riff that entirely changes the mood. The vocals sound more drowned out than even the rest of the album, and are eventually replaced altogether with a synth outro that seems only fitting, considering the focus on keyboards throughout the record.

I realise that I've written an unusually large review for this album, which I knew would be the case while I was taking notes since I wrote more than twice the amount I normally would. I felt like I had to address each song to a fair degree, and I could continue to go on about the multi-dimensional album art and all it could represent (which would also seem fair, considering it reportedly took a year to finalise). However I am aware that us Metalheads have music to listen to and don't need essays to get in the way of that, so I shall instead simply end by saying that this is the best album I have reviewed for the Temple to date, and I am deeply ashamed that I doubted it to begin with. If you like the genre, buy it. If you don't like the genre, give it a listen by some means and reconsider your position, as this is a stellar example of Progressive Metal done right.