Since the demise of BEYOND TWILIGHT, the ambitious musical universe of Danish keyboardist/composer, Finn Zierler, has been growth exponentially on all levels...Dark Scandinavian Progressive Metal with a Modern approach and a sporadic Thrash extreme edge...That's what you could expect from this new project...Even if the similarities with TWILIGHT, or it's evolution, BEYOND TWILIGHT, are numerous, the improved parameters are also in excess...The thick Doomy and the Symphonic atmospheric flair are still present and in great density...The Virtuosity and the high-technical flashy moments are even reinforced by a better than ever playing method...Often the compositions are complex and tortuous to the max...But the Melodic parts seems everywhere, even in the Harsher vocalized stage and the extra screaming momentum...The performance of vocalist, Kelly Sundown Carpenter, is perfectly in accordance with this heterogeneous style, from grunt to high pitch banshee to some more aggressive growl, that were frequent in quantity with Rusty Cooley's OUTWORLD...The 2006's self titled album is still criminally underrated by most of Progressive Thrash afficionados!

After his amazing participation to the great 2015 highlight namely "Fated To Burn" by DARKOLOGY, this is the second time in a row that Kelly Sundown Carpenter (ex-ADAGIO) proves that he could rival easily with any vocal-greats before him.

By reaching the same utterly awesome caliber of Mr Jorn Lande, with an impressive range and a real Heavy determination, with some Russell Allen's magic inflections and even a few tones ("Darkness Delight") borrowed to Tom Englund (EVERGREY) , he's beside the Virtuosic players one of the best asset of this "Esc".

Speaking of tremendous talent & skilled musicians, the International team line-up is indeed stellar, but unexpectedly the final sonic result is even better than predicted :
Ex-BEYOND TWILIGHT/SCAR SYMMETRY fellow from Sweden Per Nillson's hi-tech frenzy guitar-playing, is typical from the Scandinavian school, with a multitude of influences from superb Melodical lines to absolute Neo-Classical Shred ("Evil Spirit") buttress by the low parts of Truls Haugen (INSENSE/CIRCUS MAXIMUS) on Bass and Vocals from Norway.

Bobby Jarzombek, an authentic Drums legend, is a real pro, and his glorious career with SPASTIC INK/HALFORD/RIOT will attest this fact and now he's filling for the Mark Zonder's shoes in FATES WARNING...So, as you can imagine, his hitting performance is technically terrific, almost touching the skies of perfection more than once ("Aggrezzor"/"Water")...

With "Rainheart" or "You Can't Fix Me No More", both Zierler the Pianist/composer, and ZIERLER the band, hit it's paroxystic climax, mixing all the elements from gloomy atmospheric intro to rich layers of Harmonized choral not far from the Devin Townsend and his complex stylistic approach, the emotional piano parts are ultra-touching and the elaborated playing is as always sublime!

Of course, invariably with the studio magician/knobs expert like legendary Jacob Hansen behind the mixing desk, the whole sounds tighter as my leather pants in the 80's and crystal clear, with every nuances and each details of the intricate musical parts in a crispy halo of elegant soundscapes!

If you want easy-listening music, in contradiction those weird arrangements are in plain density, the beautiful structures are consisting of an ever changing time signature and constant switching between moods, a method in perpetual progression, from harsh to ethereal to harsher again, it will disturb certainly, you and your delicate tiny ears...So, in this case please stay away...But if you need to lift you up both intellectually but also in terms of feelings this a poignant release!

Bottom line : well, this is the right CD to play again and again, until the end of the year!<