I have difficulty thinking of other releases that I can compare this to -- so far this year, only Beyond Sensory Perception's _Pursuit of Pleasure_ has succeeded in provoking similar, but not quite the same emotions. There are a few spoken word samples, ordinarily a pet hate of mine; yet contrary to all expectations they actually work, complementing the music perfectly. The language of these samples may be incomprehensible (Japanese), but the emotions conveyed are universal. The artwork in the CD booklet was created by Heath and fits in perfectly with the music.

Not the easiest of listens, but an extremely rewarding one. The perfect starting point for those black metal fans that have yet to discover the genre hinted at by so many artists but rarely fully explored.