I know no other way to introduce this band; welcome to a CRADLE OF FILTH with Punk Rock sensibilities, stripped down to the bare bones; with their second album recently released, RETCONSTRUCT aim to deliver a gritty, eerie and inescapable 'Goth' Rock album, that happens to occasionally delve into heavier territories.

"Gods Among" starts with a rich, chunky, heavy and quaintly-down tuned chug, but undercutting this track (and the rest) is a bass drum that belongs on... That one well-known album that contains a particularly ostentatious snare drum. Overlooking this one unfortunate feature, this track is essentially a strong album-opener that showcases, from the beginning, the band's testimonies. For intents and purposes of 'Goth Rock', it is rather well-done, blending eerie atmospherics and dirty riffs with extremely prominent and equally-eerie vocals, all at an upbeat mid tempo filled with startling crescendos. I found "Ravage of Ages" to be a significantly enjoyable track (I have grown accustomed to measuring the tracks against this ephemeral bass drum as a medium); it uses minimalism to its full advantage and, in doing so, creates a dark and foreboding yet wanderlust, soundscape.

"Storm the Castle" would have to be picked out as a favorite, simply because it comes off as one of the strangest tracks on the record. The seemingly heavy and thick mood set by the heavy and mounting intro riffs belie the sick and twisted vocal delivery that was to follow; the majority of the track is arranged around an intriguing-yet-blood-curdling juxtaposition between the rhythm and time signature; ingeniously, the entire track feels like an infinite, downward spiral. "Celebration in Eschaton", as the title ostensibly suggests, is anthemic and powerful in nature, maximizing the band's potential for gothic, atmospheric tendencies, centered around a core, vital message.

As far as I can tell, this band, like many others that fall under the genre, retain an underestimated and robust fan base. While I do not necessarily find myself among them, I can appreciate that this album would have a tendency to please those who live and breathe this style of music.