When I found out that the Italian LAHMIA are about to release their debut album this year, I was thrilled to the roof because of two reasons. First because that the early 2008 demo / EP, "Forget The Sunrise", of the band was my fourth written review ever and second, because of the fact that LAHMIA spread a positive message and a good example of how Extreme Metal should be played out, performed and composed. The mystifying feeling of darkness can be attained by the right setting, especially here where there is the right music that accompanies the sensation. "Into The Abyss", my personal long awaited haunting album by this talented band, is just the thing that the darkness needs. I have to convey my personal blessing to Bakerteam Records that signed this group and made it a part of its on growing roster of bands. In times when talents are hard to pinpoint as for the swarm of almost everything, a band like LAHMIA is the best possible choice to a linked deal. Well, I will put my personal revelation aside and jump straight into the unholy realm of "Into The Abyss".

Mainly the album consists of seven brand new tracks to the side of three older tracks taken from the "Forget The Sunrise" demo / EP. Even so, I have to accommodate the band on making the right choice on inserting those three old tracks, yet I would have also put on "Game Of Sacrifice" to the mixture of songs even with the grandeur of songs such as the superb "Nightfall" and the creepy "Glass Eyed Child". Other than the older tracks there is a fine collection of the newer ones like "Silent Through the Screaming Crowd", "Drag Me to Hell" and "Into the Abyss". But hey wait a minute, Ohh darn I almost forgot as not everyone really knows this band. For whoever doesn't have any recollection of the band's music, LAHMIA has been playing a great meld of melodic Black, Death, Gothic and bits of Thrash Metal. That amazing unison of Metal subgenres, under the divine production that this particular album possesses, upraised the level of LAHMIA into new heights in the Metal world. Back to "Into The Abyss", LAHMIA continued where they left off on "Forget The Sunrise" with their chilling tales that made me wonder a bit in the realms of DARK TRANQUILLITY and DIMMU BORGIR, yet LAHMIA aren't that bewildered as the latter, however in the musical approach, there were some signs. Throughout the album there is a lot of attention to the melody element. Nearly every riff spawned a tremendous harmony and great licks that supplemented it. Furthermore, the music kept on going, running with several odd time signatures, constantly changing beats but remembering to head back to the main music themes to keep a certain line. I think that the overall fretwork of now the band's lone guitarist, Flavio Gianello, made an impact on my impression of the album. However, I wouldn't dishearten the great work of the rhythm section and the soul tearing vocals of Francesco Amerise that championed with greatness in the first time I listened to his vocal work on "Forget The Sunrise".

Somehow I knew in my mind that LAHMIA will succeed on exciting and actually touch my inner soul. Their music, as in the past, is the light in the darkness that Extreme Metal channels. Well, they aren't exactly a light beacon as they share melancholy and other darkened features, yet their level of compositions is something of a treasure. Their harmonies and perception of emotions is far greater than most of the stuff hanging around in the Metal world. This is a set tone for Extreme Metal and I hope that many younger bands would follow the signal. It is worth it.