I can not quit listening to this disc!!! (at time of printing) I have owned this for 8 days and it has not left my disc changer yet. I listen to this masterpiece at least once through daily. It is that good!!! The music is brilliant and also very hard to describe. The overall sound is black metal but unlike any black band I have ever heard. There are bound to be some comparisons to Extol mostly just because of the sheer talent and progressiveness of this. It is more "black" sounding than Extol. The entire disc is saturated to its very essence with the "Scandanavian" sound. The speed, accuracy and clarity of all instruments is amazing. There is plenty of grinding speed but also an good amount of mid-paced areas which allow the music to flow to and fro till the speed breaks back through like an icy Nordic storm. Beauty and brilliance are combined from start to finish as Lengsel combines their many styles and emotions to create something that almost sounds like a completely new genre of music! Shredding electric guitars, blast beats, acoustic segues, and keyboards for atmosphere are melded together in this symphony of stories of pain and life. In the middle of track #4 it even has a break with some wildly tortured screams (sampled) that sound as if they belong in a hollywood horror movie! The keyboards are kept to a minimum and kinda in the background (used only to enhance the overall sound, ever so slightly) so this is atmospheric but still definitely metal! There are also some very nice melodies crafted into the material that should keep classic power metal fans on the edge of their seats! The vocals are high and raspy but done very very well. In contrast there are some clear vocal parts that remind me of the clear vocals used by Amorphis (probably mostly because of the accent). If you do not own this cd you are truly missing out on an unparalleled metal experience! As stated before, the lyrics deal mostly with life and pain and struggle. If you did not know this was a Christian band you could NOT tell from the lyrics alone. Also in the thanks list God is not mentioned. Next time around it would be nice to see them remember where all that talent comes from.
10/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #84Reviewed by Tim McCreadyWhen Solid State signed Extol, I was impressed. I thought they had signed the perfect black metal band. They've definitely outdone themselves this time. I'm not about to try and decide who's better, but Oslo, Norway's Lengsel, through their unbelievable technical ability and originality is definitely giving Extol a run for their money. Not that there's any competition I'm sure. Lengsel's…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestThis Norwegian band makes extreme metal with the emphasis on Extreme. This is not clear when you listen to the title-song which starts off this album with a dark but not heavy ocean-full of noises. But then follows Revival with fast rolling double-bass, roaring guitars and a pounding bass. This must be the soundtrack of someone being in the middle of a thunderstorm, out on the sea. Lengsel is a…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Josh SpencerIt's strange that Tooth and Nail is signing these Norwegian imports to their Solid State hardcore imprint, first Extol and now, Lengsel (obviously, the fact that the guitarist/ vocalist for Lengsel is also the bassist for Extol had something to do with it). Let's hope T&N head honcho Brandon Ebel continues to be true to his metal roots--he used to work for Frontline, Napalm Death was listed as…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by CrusaderSolace is a cd for which I have mixed feelings. Nothing to do with lyrics though, well not really anyways, cause I don't even usually pay attention to lyrics when listening to music, of course there's always the exceptions but anyhow.. If you've read other reviews of mine, you probably know by now I'm one of those people who can't stand sucky production. That is my only complaint with this cd.…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by D_ListerI'll bet you were expecting a higher rating on this album from me weren't you? Tor Mange, bassist for Extol (a band you KNOW I love) metal from Norway...still it gets a 5 from me why? Well because for this one I broke the rating down to two categories. In this one I rated the music and lyrics separately. For me the music scores a perfect 5 out of 5. This is a CD full of frozen nordic black metal…Similar sounding releases
1999ClemencySpiritual Domination
1994Living SacrificeInhabit
1996EmperorIn the Nightside Eclipse
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1998AntestorThe Return of the Black Death
2003MoriahWhere, Death, Is Your Victory
