I AM THE ARCANE is a band that incorporates musical and stylistic elements from both, Gothic and Metal worlds, merging a sound that´s quite fresh on the one hand, and quiet aesthetic on the other, just like an aged Syrah.

Taking my previous considerations into account, I think - with due modesty and subjectivity - this record should have been a masterpiece, and not a work in progress as sometimes I believe it is. The attitude and passion are so "at the moment" the balance of diverse influences is right on the spot, is just the little tweaks here and there that sets this record a quarter half step afar from its full potential.

As I mentioned, is because of those negotiable cherry-picking details that my ear gets caught in observations like "maybe that double bass should be quantized" or "maybe this piano passage could have been played little bit more legato than staccato." Perhaps those nuances are placed for artistic sake, maybe not, but unfortunately, our ears are perfection-seekers these days, and not a millisecond mistake goes unnoticed.

The instrumental opening "Arcane Society" sets the tone and serves as an appetizer of what is yet to come. The details mentioned above are displayed here; for instance, the piano is a little bit loud, comparing with the rest of the band, which I assume should be the main focus. I´m not comfortable with the snare sound, lacks some dynamics, and at the 2:00 mark, the double bass drums sounds behind the beat, not in the right way. The bass has a delightful shinning spot, enhancing the low A pedal note and playing a musical motif. I can hear some DEVIL DOLL influences.

The second track, "Oh Morpheus," displays a tighter musical interaction among band members (which makes sense, being a proper song and not an overture).  For the first time we get to hear the distinctive clean vocal timbre of Daniel Magnus, and thanks Satan he is not all-time growler, nor a high pitched power metal banshee, he is singing 100% with his natural range, giving his music some sense of a trademark. I can hear something from Michael Stipe´s bag of tricks in his nasal delivery.

"Her Ghost" sets the calm and flows like water, but again, the odd bass drum kick sometimes interferes the smooth listening. "Venus Cut His Head Off" has a nice pounding rhythmic groove on the verses, contrasting with a loose open chorus and perfectly pitched clean vocals. "Bibliophile" must be their battle hymn for a live environment, takes them to a rock tempo and a chugging riff. Cool thick R accent on the singing serves the purpose.

The last songs "It Owns Me" and "The Second Coming" are the best tracks of this record, every star aligns with the band around these tunes, and the riffs are hooky, the high note of the clean singing on "It Owns Me" sticks in your head for hours, the chorus works, the occasional growl matches. The drumming requires just a few more takes, and there you have an FM bunch of tight crafting.

Everything, besides the obnoxious details, around this band gravitates correctly; the looks, the artwork, the voice, the mystique, and the attitude, just a few more tweaks and that´s it.