Apotheosis - Farthest From The Sun

"This album is appealing from the get-go, just look at the song titles for a start. Considering how it has the unfortunate stablemates of the 'symphonic black metal' genre, it hasn't picked up any of their negative influence. There isn't a trace of romance, religion, 'suicidal gothic vampire babes' or any of the things that could make this an unpleasant experience before you even turn the CD player on..."- Metal Archives

Farthest From The Sun 2002 Tracklisting 1.Victory 06:13 2. The Maimed God 16:28 3. Raise The Dragon Banner 11:54 4. Kingdom 16:24 Total playing time 50:59

This album is one of those gems that you come along not often enough (although, if you came upon them very frequently, would they still be gems?). It is notable to mention that Farthest From The Sun is indeed a concept album based on a legend, a myth of a fight between this mystic warrior and dragon. The album takes you through a range of connected events and landscapes. It is a great package of atmospheric, raw black/thrash metal fused very effectively with orchestral and symphonic elements. No, I'm not talking about symphonic garbage like Dimmu Borgir, mind you. Farthest From The Sun also incorporates power-metal upbeat riffs, combining with symphonic elements to create a very epic feeling.

The dichotomy between the ugly and evil and the beautiful and serene is orchestrated eloquently, and the two moods present themselves throughout the album in a fashion much like a pendulum's swing. The pendulum begins up high, on a positive note, descends for the second and third song, the darker songs of the album, and rises back up for the last song, which does in fact transition from typical black metal overtones to a more epic, spirited feeling. The drumming in the album provide a solid foundation for the variety of well connected riffs. The vocals in this album are very impressive they sound a lot like a possessed pteradactyl. It's not like the Donald Duck vocals from Maniac, mind you ... they're much better, more powerful, and have a deeper, more masculine quality to them than his do. There are interludes within the album done tastefully, sometimes adding to the feeling of the track, other times building tension within the song.

Sauron, the mastermind behind Apotheosis, shows that he knows how to make good music. Even though this album is over 50 minutes long with songs averaging 13 minutes in length, the music draws you in very well, to the point one loses touch of reality and becomes detached from the faculties of time. This review was much longer than the other ones due to the shocking lack of attention this band has been given.

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