Sinful "Омут" CD

...Because I was put off of this band for a long while. I had heard about them, yet when I checked them out, they looked like shameless COF wannabees and I was reluctant to give it a spin. Once I did however, I discovered something.
This is one of the most dramatic and beautiful black metal CD's I've heard. The melodies are clearly russian/eastern european in origin; all one has to do is listen to Tchaikovsky then listen to this to hear the similarities. There's this played up dramatic sound going throughout, oweing to the talented keyboardist who manages to do many different things at once in this CD, creating much of the atmosphere present.
However, if something were all keyboards, it would suck. This doesn't. It's got competent drumming, ripping guitars, and vocals that aren't annoying. That already put them ahead of COF by miles, if not by the clearly superior songwriting abilities of Sinful. While the bass is all but inaudible in this trebly production, it quits mattering after a few songs. By then, you are captivated by the keyboardist's sweeping expressions, guiding you into a world that is both beautiful and morbid.
Reviewing song by song would be useless, since they're all thematically similar and are more album oriented. If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be Whirlpool or Midnight Death. Both songs had me floored from beginning to end with a variety of melodies coasting around on differing beats and rhythms coming from the guitars. Unlike COF or Dummy Burger or Hecate Enthroned or whatever shit bm/mallcore "symphonic" band you can think of, the keyboards here play an active melodic role, akin to a lead guitar. They're not just here for atmosphere, they actually carry a tune. Because of this, the lead guitar and keyboard melodies complement each other, creating a complex prog-like sound.
Recommended to damn near anybody who likes black metal, because this CD is 1000x better than the picture or CD cover would have you believe. It makes me sad that they look so goofy because they sound so awesome, and it worries me that they will end up like COF or such.

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