MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY was officially formed in early 2007. Originally from Ipswich, west of Brisbane, Dis Pater, began writing Black Metal oriented music in 1999, and home recorded many songs between the years 2001 and 2007.  Though these recordings were never officially pressed (and never will be), they led to a creative output that would eventually cement itself as MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY. Dis Pater has taken influences from a wide range of music, from black metal, doom metal, neo-classical and dark ambient music, electronic music, classical/early music and folk. His newest offering, titled "Biolvolume Pt: 2 - The Golden Orb" contains nine tracks.

"Dawn-Bringer" leads off the album. It's a 20-minute opus, that begins with soft, dark keys. Clean, melancholy vocals some in with the keys, followed by some symphonic elements. It begins a slow build, with some hopeful elements. Approaching the half-way mark, the sound changes, with a steady riff. Harsh vocals then come in as the song goes dark. An extended symphonic passage ensues, with a repeated pattern. It ends on an agonizing scream.

"The Saffron Flame" opens with more of that keyboard ambiance. It almost sounds like Dungeon Synth. A steady riff joins with some background chants to go along with the clean vocals. Harsh vocals come in and then the sound drops. Harmonic guitars take the song to completion. "Golden Orb" opens in much of the same manner, with droning keys. This song moves a bit slower, with plenty of background symphonic elements. A mixture of clean and harsh vocals are present again. There is a long fade-out.

"Rise of Thunder" is another lengthy song. Opening with symphonic sounds, it goes dark with harsh vocals. Some strings mix in for a change of pace, but many of the songs now sound very similar to one another. Thunderous drumming rolls in towards the end. "Aurora Burning" is a quick, five-minute change of pace, with clean, sad vocals and minimal instrumentation. "The Unconquered Star" is another lengthy song that opens with symphonic elements followed by a riff of sorts. It takes another darker turn with some harsh vocals, followed by clean harmonic vocals, and a sense of hope. Towards the end, they dial up some heavy and more aggressive tones. "Below Horizon" is a sixteen-minute opus. It begins with some clean guitar picks and in come the keys. A guitar riff enters with power, continuing the sound. It then drops back to the clean guitars. Again, it goes dark with some harsh vocals and a more full sound. It waxes and wanes throughout.

"The Chains Become Mine" opens with slow, melancholy tones that build to a riff, lamenting in nature. Harsh vocals come in along with the steady hums of background chants. After the half-way mark, the sound drops a bit, then returns, finishing with some lead guitar notes. "When the Fires Cool" closes the album, in a short five-minutes of ambiance, with clean vocals. Overall, I liked the sound, but the album fell into a repeated pattern, with the same tones coming in over and over. The constant waxing and waning in and out of clean and harsh passages were just too obvious. If Dis can find a way to work in some more diversity, it would go a long way.