Now here’s a pleasant surprise – a great Black Metal band with Folk touches, from Israel no less! I don’t know anything about this band, except that they play melodic Black Metal in the vein of MELEK TAUS and that they split up not long after this (their only) release. So, as you can guess this is a very rare CD.

Opener “A Requiem…” sets the pace for the rest of the record with its great keyboard melodies and raspy vocal work by Y Lahav. This continues on the next two tracks (note the great synth parts on “Above The Silvery Fog” – makes me think of the Middle Ages or something…). The band keeps up this style for most of the record and unfortunately it gets a little boring after a couple of spins, but the overall sound is quite impressive. The mentioned keyboards are put to great use (usually I detest the use of keys in Black Metal, but this band gets it just right) and the riffs are all competently performed.

Interspersed throughout the album are a couple of traditional Hebrew prayers and poems that are supposed to convey a sense of emotion and anguish (they deal with the Prayer of the Dead and loss), but since I don’t understand a word of Hebrew/Yiddish, the band have lost me on these. But apart from this little hiccup, this is a quality album full of epic-sounding melodic Black Metal, with the occasional Folk/Goth touch. The production is decent with all the instruments being audible and the booklet is also a treat (I couldn’t help but laugh when I looked at the band pics on the inside, with the members jumping off a cliff with swords in their hands…hehehe).

There’s really not a lot more to say about this band and this album. They won’t stick out from the morass of other similar bands out there, but they do impress during the odd listen every now and then. If you want to hear some highly obscure Israeli Black Metal (of course the tr00 kvlt elitists will say there should be no such thing), then check out GRIMOIRE. (Online April 13, 2006)