Sometimes you just feel damn lucky after grabbing a promo from the hands of the Chief Editor and claiming it for review. The Blow Of Furious Winds was such a case and I dare to say that my instinct worked flawlessly this time since I discovered a very interesting band. No, I didn't grab the album because of the enchanting front cover artwork... oh well, ok, I admit that partially that was also a reason.  
I knew that Hortus Animae had already released an album by another Greek label, their debut Waltzing Mephisto back in 2003, but I didn't knew they had also released a self produced CD titled The Melting Idols in 2000. The band formed back in 1997 and since then they have suffered lots of line up changes. Their most distinct member has to be the drummer Grom, also part of Ancient and Doomsword. Grom started as a session member but eventually he became a permanent part of the band.
Hortus Animae is one of those difficult to digest bands. Their ability to swim between genres makes their music not the most easy listening in the world. From the Black Metal blast beats to the slow melancholic moments, from the melodic Death Metal explosions to their introvert experimentation with sounds, they demand the total dedication of the listener's abilities. Their music is a beautiful sound puzzle that takes time to be solved.
All these can be found in 69 minutes of music, 69 minutes of which every second counts. In conclusion all I can is that if this one had fallen into my hands few months ago, I am pretty sure that it would have found its way to my top ten for 2005!