This band from Hungary is very appealing. If I remember well, it was eleven years before when I listened to their debut Phantoms and I was very impressed. SEAR BLISS use trombones, trumpets or euphoniums making their black metal unique, colored with strangeness and difference. That album was a shock; and so were the following four. They have also - in all their CDs - amazing cover artworks and this legacy continues with The Arcane Odyssey. A painting by Jozsef Tari is based upon the story of Hadak Utja, the road of warriors, a legend in ancient Hungarian mythology.
The first track, Blood On The Milky Way, puts you immediately in the right mood and I can easily say that it is the best. The song has a riff straight from MASTER'S HAMMER's Ritual, a riff like you are into an abandoned, ruined, full of spirits castle in the middle ages. There is a progressive structure, not only here but in the majority of the compositions, making the listening more pleasant and attractive. The keyboard playing is perfect and into-the-point, without prattling, creating shadows or images of empty space. The best example is the introduction of A Deathly Illusion, with sounds like ELOY's key intros during their live performances or the aura of BURZUM's Tomhet.
The brass instrument gives an epic tone, bombastic vibration or the ground above the ghosts making a parade. A majestic pageant like in Somewhere, making SEAR BLISS completely special. Lost And Not Found brings the isolation with great riffs, mid - tempo doomy rhythms and space-influenced keys, like the falling rain upon quiet lake. Path To Motherland (with the violin) has the color of Hungary's music, making it different from the other songs. Of course, there are dark moments inside like the blackness of Thorns Of Deception, The Venomous Grace or Omen Of Doom.
All songs are very fine; the production is excellent, with all instruments having clear and crystal sound without destroying the atmosphere. The last thing I have to say is that the vocals are great. Andras has the absolute tint, like an ancient tyrant buried thousand years ago telling you stories about his lost and dusk ages. These are black metal vocals!
Candlelight made the best transportation with SEAR BLISS, that - in my opinion - is the best group this time in their roster.