I've heard mixed reviews of Agathodaimon and wasn't overly impressed with the one newer song I've heard (from a Terrorizer magazine comp.), but my man goden liked 'em, so I decided to check out some of their early stuff. This release (which has 9 tracks - this is a lengthy, well-produced release) offers some well-written songs. They have some of the staples of black metal, like eerie keyboards (which aren't prominent) and string jumping, single note anti-melodies, but the main riffing ideas are based in doom and death metal. There is also a bit of Dark Tranquility-style melody at times. Overall, Agathodaimon are not the most evil sounding band in the world, but they do offer good songs for fans of all styles of metal. So, if you are only a fan of the grim stuff that is released by Drakkar (Fra. - VLAD TEPES!!!) or Spikekult,(ETERNAL MAJESTY!!!!) you will want to avoid this. Others may want to check 'em out.

© 2000 j. mcintyre