"Dirge For The Archons" is the fourth full-length studio album of Symphonic Metal band, DIABULUS IN MUSICA, and they hail from a town called Pamplona, which is the historic capital of Navarre, in Spain. The band members already knew each other from the local Metal scene when they formed the band in 2006. The band went through line-up changes, and amidst the turmoil, they released "Secrets" in 2010 via Metal Blade Records, "The Wanderer" in 2010, and followed that up by releasing, "Argia", in 2014 via Napalm Records. The band has been influenced by Metal music as much as Classical and Folk music, as well as film scores. Gorko Elso and Zuberoa Aznarea are the main conspirators of the band and they had to start from scratch when the other band members quit in the year 2012. The band says that they are fans of all kinds of music and they try to include medieval and local tunes, as well as Electronica and acoustic parts into their compositions.

"Battle Of Atlantis", the opening track, is a minute long introduction to the mosaic of Classical and Metal Music that the band plays. The melody is carried forward into the second song, " Earthly Illusions", a 5-minute song about perception.

"Marble Embrace" starts of with a bit of Electronica, before a heavy riff shores up the song and the clean vocals play off with growling vocals. The song contains a small passage in Spanish at the end. The riff in this track is chunky and heavy, and has violins for company in the background. "Ring Around Dark Fairies' Carousel" starts off with carousel music with wailing background before the melody hits its stride. It has an almost spooky tone to it, while conjuring images of ghosts in white that terrify mortals. It is a song with nightmarish quality and terrifyingly enjoyable. The song has a dark, gothic, quirky feel to it and it is the stand out track in the album for me. "A Speck In The Universe" is a ballad and is a poignant song about our place in the universe. The song incorporates traditional instruments, as well as killer backing vocals. A harp makes its presence felt in the song, along with extensive organ and a flute. "The Voice Of Your Dreams" is a song just shy of 5 minutes and it rocks right from the get-go. The song slows down considerably during the verse with backing acoustic guitars, before a symphonic bridge picks up the pace that leads the song to the chorus. "The River Of Loss" is another one of those epic sounding tracks. The chunky riffs, with choir backdrop and chaotic Electronica, make it an ominous sounding track. This is almost a movie soundtrack of epic revenge battles.

Having never been a fan of Symphonic Metal, I listened to this album with great trepidation. However, I was surprised to be proven wrong in my opinion of this genre of music, as the musical composition is exquisite and the melodies are interesting. Almost all the songs are rather varied from each other, and the singing is spot-on. The production value on this album is top-notch and it was hard for me to find a dull moment in the songs. There is a clever mix of clean vocals and growls, clear acoustic melodies, and furious chugging power chords. Harmonious organ pieces dovetail beautifully with high-pitched vocals and also, surprisingly, the heavier vocals. The extra instruments add layers over the tracks, and at times, they trump traditional 4 piece bands with their complex melodies. I felt the band is ready to compete with the best Symphonic/Gothic metal bands out there and they are up there with the likes of EPICA or NIGHTWISH. A must have for fans of Symphonic Metal, or even neo-classical music.<