CoC : The Black League - Utopia A.D. : Review

The Black League - _Utopia A.D._
(Spinefarm, 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)

There was something unique about The Black League's debut, 2000's _Ichor_, something thought caught my attention right from the get go. It might have been the fact that ex-Sentenced singer Taneli Jarva was the ringleader of the band, a great performer who had sung on classic death metal albums like _Amok_ and _North From Here_, and I was anxious to hear his new band and his growth as a musician after leaving Sentenced. Whatever the case was, I was intrigued by the dark, eccentric ways of The Black League, a wonderful arrangement of death metal, hard rock and gothic overtones -- none overshadowing one another, but all working as one. A unique package indeed. Following the release of the successful _The Doomsday EP_, Jarva and The Black League return with _Utopia A.D._, a wonderful continuation of the band's sound and style, though much more expansive and in some ways boisterous than their first outing. Jarva has successfully managed to create a world of beautifully crafted numbers with intensity and bite, but at the same time technical, passionate and, above all, unique sounding. Be drawn in by the wonderful tracks "Empiria", "Harbour of Hatred" and "Citizen Cain" and you'll come to realize that _Utopia A.D._ is not like any other record you'll hear this year. It isn't at all predictable and that works in such a grand way for The Black League. On the edge, _Utopia A.D._ is fearless in its undying need for exploration of metal music. As if crafted by the Gods themselves, _Utopia A.D._ stands tall in a world of metal music where uniquely crafted albums are as rare as an albino elephant. Discover _Utopia A.D._.

(article published 12/4/2002)

CHATS
10/1/2001	A Bromley	The Black League: Suomi Finland Perkele