This one-man band brings to mind the very best of melodic black metal of the mid-'90s, the Swedish type (despite hailing from Canada), where simple song structures and emotional execution were enough to do the trick of conveying engaging and beautiful music, sans the trickery, the hyper-blasting and the technical aspects and such. Good music does not need all the charade; it can be kept on the most simple, basic levels and still deliver.

_Diminished_ is a no-frills beautiful album, just because of these aspects: heartfelt guitar riffs, eerie and minimal usage of keyboards, and good vocal delivery alternating between hissing rasps and clear vocals, as well as an organic, tight and very dynamic production. The listener is rewarded with a somewhat enigmatic, spiritual, well-crafted melodic black metal album which does not aim at breaking any records, but whose message is: keep it simple and effective.

The complementary packaging, high quality artwork and lyrics, as well as the aforementioned classy production make this album a treat. With acknowledgment to early Katatonia, Scheitan, Non Serviam, Opeth and Kvist, this album should be on every melodic black metal purveyor's check out list.