CRIMSON DIMENSION delivers their blackened progressive metal expertly in this epic, guitar-driven self-titled release. I can't lie - when I first opened this album to start listening and realized each of the four tracks was anywhere from 12 minutes to 18 minutes, I was not looking forward to the task. For some reason listening to four super long songs versus 12-13 shorter songs seemed like a big undertaking. I felt like I would get bored with it. Wrong. There is so much going on in this album that it definitely never gets boring. The guitar and drum work in this is phenomenal. And I'm not one to be big on black metal, but this self-proclaimed "blackened progressive metal" is something to behold. It's the best of both genres. It's dark and demonic, but it has softness and beauty. And the musicianship is terrific. The first song, also called "Crimson Dimension", shows you just how awesome this EP is going to be. The duality of the guitars and the keyboards in about minute seven stretching into minute nine is amazing. That's when I knew I was really going to like this album. The very end of the song has an awesome riff that rounds it out nicely.

"Black Mass" opens with pummeling drums. Right after 4:30 you get these sinister funeral-style keyboards that sound like something you would hear upon entering a magnificent gothic haunted mansion. There is also some spoken word instead of black metal growls that adds to the eeriness of the song and album as a whole. The vocals definitely lean more toward the black metal side for the most part.  "Age of Awakening" starts out softer and kind of pretty, but retains the darkness that encompasses this EP. At about 4:30 there is complete musical chaos and then at just about 5:50 it dies off and goes back to the soft guitar sounds and drum work into an excellent guitar lead with vocals haunting in the background. It's honestly really beautiful. This is the longest song on the album and drifts between heavy and soft in such a cool way.

It's impressive that the band is able to have these long epic songs that tie together so effortlessly with nothing seeming out of place, and without getting boring or too overdone. I really enjoyed how they were able to offer such a variety of sounds and techniques without muddying it up and losing the overall sound and direction.