With so many Metal sub genres on the scene today and the endless stream of bands in which to fill them, it's easy to see why people get comfortable in one particular clique and never branch out. It's a wide world of Metal we live in that at times can be a little scary and quite intimidating. Where does one start when trying to explore another branch in the tree? Do you dive in head first or do you wade in slowly and allow your ears the proper time to adjust?

While I may not know you nor be influential enough to tell you what to do, I can offer this one piece of advice: Gateway bands. An artist or group that is capable of giving you an excelent taste of what you are in for, while refraining from putting your ears into complete shock. In the Black Metal world, I can think of no band better suited for this task than the German three peice, Vargsheim, and their latest release, "Traume Der Shlaflosen".

Vargsheim is everything you want from your Black Metal sans corpse paint, and yet their unique infusion with 70's style Heavy Metal makes them easy on the ear, and suited wonderfully for anyone interested in the genre that is unsure of where to begin. Koelt's guitar-playing, subtle though it may be, creates beautifully moving riffs that I imagine would comfort the spawn of Satan as a lullaby on his journey into Dreamland. His singing on the other hand, is the stuff of horror movies. Much like the Arch Angel Michael sitting at the left hand of the Lord, Koelt raises his voice by Satan's command to lead the armies of darkness into the final battle for the souls of man.

Naavl handles the time keeping duties on the album, and "handles" is a bit of an understatemnet. He may not have the quickest feet in the world, but on every turn he delivers the double bass kicks that has become one of the many staples associated with Black and Death Metal. His structure and creativity take what would otherwise OK album and elevate it to that next level. It's this same structure and creativity that disassemble and then reform the elements of Hard Rock and Black Metal into one fluid machine.

Groovy beats, killer riffs, strong vocals, and an overall haunting appeal make "Traume Der Shlaflosen" a true wonder.