Romantic, inoffensive, sluggish, devoid of dynamics or punchy edge, _Thy Dark Serenity_ is the product of lazy minds walking the line on the safe side of things, investing neither in creative musical material nor in individualistic self-awareness.

Strewn are some exceptional moments, like the mid-section of "She Died in Autumns Rain" with its excellent rhythm guitar assault, but other than here and there, this is ultimately a desert of creativity, if there ever was one.

The sum of the album is nothing too horrible music-wise -- the melodies are there and so is the playing ability -- but being a living monument to all that is cliché, this fact alone places this album on the lowest notch of the musical food chain.