5 – The album is excellent, it could also be considered perfect or near perfect. There may be a few glitches or setbacks, but they are not detrimental.

4 – The album is very good. There aren’t too many glitches or setbacks but the ones that are present keep the album from being excellent.

3 – The album is mediocre. While the album is alright, there isn’t anything that makes it stand out above other albums. Some of it is good, and some of it needs work.

2 – The album is bad. Many things have gone wrong, and unless it happens to be within your personal favorite genre, chances are it’s not even worth your time. The band has a lot to work on.

1 – The album is terrible. The album isn’t worth your time, no exceptions.

Note: Be aware that in November 2004 the grading scale was revised to how it is shown above in order to maintain more consistences between our reviewers. Many of the reviews in our Archive may include ½ marks and ¼ marks and please be aware that the ratings at that time were also more open to our reviewers’ interpretations of the rating scale, as opposed to this now absolute grading scale which our reviewers are responsible to follow in their rating procedures.


Search:

  advanced  

Sear Bliss – The Arcane Odyssey - added - September 9th, 2007
Reviewer: Sixxswine

5/5

 

Hungarian black metal band Sear Bliss has created a huge separation between themselves and their Norwegian counterparts. Sear Bliss returned with a vengeance on their sixth album The Arcane Odyssey, and from opening note to the last lick it’s all business. Sear Bliss incorporate the best elements of extreme, death, and black metal along with atmospheric sounds created by unorthodox instruments (in the metal arena anyway) such as trombones, trumpets, and euphoniums.  All that plus epic, vibrant tracks that will have you glued to your stereo and have you on the edge of your seat for 45 minutes plus.  The Arcane Odyssey edges out two fantastic black metal efforts, King Diamond’s Give Me Your Soul . . . Please and Dimmu Borgir’s In Sorte Diaboli, to take best black metal album of 2007, so far. The Arcane Odyssey must be given several proper listens, and only then can you appreciate Sear Bliss’ efforts on this spectacular and ambitious album.

 

Click HERE for Past Reviews