Crest of Darkness “ Project Regeneration “

Nostalgy brings sometimes the worst in us, sorrowfully preventing us from growing up as time bids not it’s darkened tool... Its as we’re cursed to stay secluded within an haunting chamber, paralyzed, mortified to the core without the energy to mature and bring to the outside world the most luminous thoughts. Sometimes, nostalgy gives us the opposite...
Starting out as a solo project by Ingar Amlien ( vocals/guitars/bass ), Crest of Darkness brought to the underground on their third Cd ( as stated by it’s mentor himself ) an inspired mixture of both Black, Death and old Heavy metal influences! In fact, sometimes we seem to go back to the seventies ( reaching a more brutal level ), yet always having a sort of futuristic overview about it, noticed on the keyboard effects which adds that rather mechanical and melodic atmosphere, teared by some shrieking Black and gutural voices that obscures even insanity!!! The female vocals appear only on those more restful parts to wrongly induce us into thinking that all is well... for only a glimpse of a second!
Through the 10 tracks featured here, we always feel like there was no fountain of blissful joy to warm us, only a desolated escapade from the thrills of an angelic Sun! The unhallowed atmosphere dispersed through this rather bizarre Cd surrounds us with the feeling of being imprisioned, of not having the strength to stop hearing it although, at first, one may find it, like I did, very odd and not that great. Yet, as I was listenning to it more and more I felt that it really was one of the best releases from last year as it really could be put aside from all that cliche trendy bands that say they are “true” to the underground and become more and more melodic and pitifully... dull!.
One thing that makes it hard is the last track, “ Electronic Art (Computerized part II) “, which distances itself from all the other songs as it wanders more on that techno/drum n’ bass sceneries that some of us have grown to hate. Yet, hearing it a bit didn’t made me puke and thank hell that it only lasts for 02:41 minutes. Afterall the pain, it’s better to listen to this Cd than some crap out there...