Band: Limbonic Art
Title: Phantasmagoria
Label: Candlelight Records
Distribution: Plastic Head Distribution
Release date: 19/07/2010
Review: CD

Limbonic Art were originally formed in 1993 by Daemon. With Morfeus, he released five albums (Moon In The Scorpio, In Abhorrence Dementia, Epitome Of Illusions (a comp, by the way), Ad Noctum / Dynasty Of Death, and The Ultimate Death Worship) during the nineties and early 21st century, all of them available through Nocturnal Art Productions, the label of Emperor’s Samoth, as well as two boxed sets (Hammerheart Records). The duo’s unique form of melodic yet extremely intense Symphonic Black Metal soon reached some cult-status and without exception I do like these recordings enormously. Limbonic Art became very ‘popular’ (not only in Europe, yet also in the U.S. – they joined the 2001 Milwaukee Metal Fest, for example), but after the release of The Ultimate Death Worship both members decided to split-up this formation to concentrate on their other projects – Morfeus with Dimension F3H, and Daemon with Sarcoma Inc and Revolt, as well as his session assistance to e.g. Zyklon.

June 2006, Morfeus and Daemon reform Limbonic Art. 2007, Candlelight Records releases the album Legacy Of Evil, undoubtedly one of the most impressing comeback recordings ever.
Then… the project did split for a second time, or better: Morfeus left, yet Daemon decided to continue. So Limbonic Art nowadays is a one-man-project. And Daemon did a splendid job again. His newest piece, Phantasmagoria, is a typical Limbonic Art album. The Wagnerian songs are very powerful and aggressive, yet at the same time these ones are so massive and orchestral. The colossal instrumentation, and especially the bombastic keyboards, give that typical sound, undone by any other band (even though it might remind to a project as Tartaros). The tempo varies a lot too: from ultra-slow (like the extra-ordinary Black-Doom hymn "Dark Winds") over mid-tempo to blasting. And even the sound / production is superior to the overcrowded scene… One remark however: the album still surprises, but there it ends – nothing more than this. There’s not one single composition that bothers, but Phantasmagoria sort of is ‘another new LA-release’.

Still this is fantastic, or is it phantasmagorian, Black Art!

88/100

Ivan Tibos.