Arcturus Sideshow Symphonies (2005)

Arcturus - Sideshow Symphonies (2005)  Music

Posted by gribovar at July 21, 2023
Arcturus - Sideshow Symphonies (2005)

Arcturus - Sideshow Symphonies (2005)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 366 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 119 MB | Covers - 106 MB
Genre: Avant-garde Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Season of Mist (SOM 100)

Never has a more apt title for a release been used. Arcturus have looked at the rule book, and although they haven't actually ripped it up and started again, they have taken its core, twisted, manipulated and totally transformed the damn thing. Okay, other bands have tried this, most of whom have fallen flat on their arses in the process, which is where Arcturus differ dramatically. This is sensational stuff. Dipping in and out of elegant dreamy sound scapes that fit perfectly into the mix. Nothing sounds out of place, although in turn nothing sounds like anything before it. Comparisons shouldn't really be identified in any review because to be honest there isn't really anything relevant in the current scene. This is original, majestic and a true piece of modern day art…

Arcturus - Arcturian (2015) [2CD Limited Edition]  Music

Posted by gribovar at Aug. 8, 2023
Arcturus - Arcturian (2015) [2CD Limited Edition]

Arcturus - Arcturian (2015) [2CD Limited Edition]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 641 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 211 MB | Covers - 130 MB
Genre: Avant-garde Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Prophecy Productions (PRO 175 LU)

Arcturus took a decade off of creating studio albums after Sideshow Symphonies and have returned with this, a pretty solid release which, though it lacks any fully-fledged epics (with all the song lengths at less than six minutes), still offers a confection of progressive-minded metal with symphonic and black metal touches, with the inclusion of an actual string section really allowing them to bring their symphonic aspect to the fore. Sebastian Grouchot guests on violin and adds a nicely melancholic touch to pieces such as "Crashland".
Like the preceding Sideshow Symphonies, this does not feel like as striking and groundbreaking a release as any of their first three studio albums (up to and including the classic Sham Mirrors)…

Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (2002)  Music

Posted by gribovar at July 23, 2023
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (2002)

Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (2002)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 325 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 102 MB | Covers - 12 MB
Genre: Avant-garde Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Ad Astra Enterprises/The End Records (TE026)

Over its first three albums (if you include the "remix" disc Disguised Masters), Arcturus established a pattern of radically changing its sound each time, a trend that continues with The Sham Mirrors, the band's third "official" studio album. The constant thread throughout all the group's work, and again here, comes from keyboardist/songwriter Steiner "Sverd" Johnsen, whose sinister, often carnival-esque harmonies and dramatic synth arrangements have a pretty clear stamp by now. Beyond that, though, comparisons to other Arcturus albums are difficult. For one thing, the drums and guitars are heavier and more forceful than ever before, and there is more of a traditional metal foundation on this album than on its predecessor, the bizarre, operatic La Masquerade Infernale…