Sirius - Spectral Transition - Dimension Sirius

(Originally published in Chronicles of Chaos in 2001)

This Portuguese black metal band have toned down the classical and symphonic aspect of their sound since their promising debut _Aeons of Magick_ [CoC #46]. Following in the footsteps of Emperor, they have recorded their newest album in Akkerhaugen studio and ended up with a sound not very far from _IX Equillibrium_ [CoC #39]. As this would indicate, the guitar work is much more present now and since their riffs are much more interesting and aggressive this time around it suits them well. In fact, this album packs quite a punch and yet they have kept enough symphonic elements to ensure variety and maintain interest. Still, I have to comment on their lack of originality. If this album had come out two years ago, it would have raised a lot of eyebrows, but releasing it way into this "black metal bands get vastly inspired by death metal" wave the scene seems to be on, seems like just following the trend. The inspiration from Emperor's _In the Nightside Eclipse_ was very apparent on their debut too, so there seems to be a pattern. Having a cover of "The Majesty of the Nightsky" as a bonus track on their newest album also signals who they look up to musically. Too bad they skipped _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_. That being said, one can't deny the quality of this music. These guys can play well and know how to make solid songs. Let's hope they gain enough confidence with this album to truly stand on their own with their next release.

Original score: 8/10. I really dislike the Akkerhaugen sound and I rarely returned to this album since, so I think I'll put it at 3.5/5.