SIRENIA was born in early 2001 in Norway with one thing in mind, a Gothic Metal sound. The band has previously released seven full-length albums and an EP. They are back with their eighth full-length album "Dim Days Of Dolor." This album comes in with twelve tracks, one bonus, and a listening time of just about an hour.

"Goddess Of The Sea", the opening track, brilliantly brings in the album with a powerfully written, almost five minute, track. The guitars here are just so right. They are heavy and hard but still stunningly fitting into the very Gothic symphony elements. The backing vocals are opera-esque, while the main vocals are clean female fronted that are angelic and bellow throughout the track. The drums have a technicality to them that elevate this track to another level. Simply put, this track is outstanding. Track two and album namesake, "Dim Days of Dolor", starts low with added orchestra the quietly rising from the ground. The vocal contrast between the female and male clean vocals is stunning. I just wish there was more. It leaves you wanting more. The musicianship is completely pulled together and buttoned up. Every single element in this track works together elegantly.

"The 12^th Hour", track three, is the first time we get to hear the more aggressive growled vocals and they too, have a captivating effect on not only the track, but the album this far. The guitars shine high in this track. They give a little acoustic action as well as being able to shred hard and potently. The drums hold everything together phenomenally.  Track five, "Cloud Nine", starts again with an orchestrated plucking with a full-on opera backing vocal. There is a very cryptic ambiance in this track that revolves around that opera vocal with the addition of the insane guitars in the track. It resonated deeply with me. This is such an offbeat piece, in the best way.

"Elusive Sun", track eight, starts of really heavy with blast beat drums and really low, but still ass kicking guitars. This track is by far one of the more technically powerful tracks on the album and it is glorious. This is track that literally has every aspect of Gothic, and more, metal intricately woven together to create one of the most innovated tracks on the album. The final track, "Aeon's Embrace", of the regular album is so soft and reveals another level of depth in SIRENIA. What an unimaginable allure and elegance in one track. The French version is even more captivating simply because French is a captivating language to begin with, so it just makes sense that the lyrics in French would do nothing but enhance and already amazing track.

SIRENIA has out done themselves in "Dim Days Of Dolor". Each track is has a sophistication that catapults this album far into the cosmos. There is so much love and attention to detail in every single track. "Dim Days Of Dolor" is imaginative, intricate, and powerful.