Band:	Limbonic Art
Album:	In Abhorrence Dementia
Style:	Symphonic black metal
Release date:	1997

01. In Abhorrence Dementia
02. A Demonoid Virtue
03. Descent To Oblivion [bonus]
04. A Venomous Kiss Of Profane Grace
05. When Mind And Flesh Depart
06. Deathtrip To A Mirage Asylum
07. Under Burdens Of Life's Holocaust
08. Abysmal Necromancy [bonus]
09. Oceania
10. Behind The Mask Obscure
11. Misanthropic Spectrum

I must say, it is quite odd how this band managed to escape my attention for quite this long. I barely ever heard anything about them at all, and on those rare occasions that I did, they were nothing more than a by-the-way comment. Finally, it was the mysterious, mystical names of the band itself and their albums that made me serious about checking them out. And after hearing this album, I realized exactly why they are so rarely mentioned, and I can tell you this: It's a grave injustice.

As the name of the band suggests, their music is truly.... art. No, this is not your classic Norwegian "I LOVE YOU SATAN!!" kind of black metal. In Abhorrence Dementia is something deeper, something darker... From the haunting, morbid intro on the first track, to the closing powerful, opera-like vocals with crushing guitars in "A Misanthropic Spectrum", this album manages to create a kind of darkness that is matched by a few. It is not depression, nor desolation that it invokes in you... Instead, this piece of dark art uses melodic pianos, organs (or rather, keyboards that sound just alike) mixed with with powerful guitars, pounding drums and torturing shrieks to create an intensely dark and epic atmosphere that will make you feel like you've just jumped into the middle of a black magic ritual of some medieval cult. I don't think I could go on describing just what this album feels like when you listen to it. I simply can't find the right words.

Instead, let's approach it on a more technical basis. In Abhorrence Dementia isn't going to win any performance awards for the guitars, no doubt about that. They are relatively simple and somewhat standard, almost all the way through the album. There are exceptions, of course, but they are few. Also, you will almost never hear the drums as a separate layer of the sound. But they are there, and the music just wouldn't be what it is without them. So, if they are both so not special, why am I singing praises about the album? It is because neither of the two are the stars of the show here. Indeed, that spot is reserved for the keyboards. While it is the guitars and drums that give the music necessary power and heaviness, it's the keyboards that truly capture the darkness and mysticism of the album. Of course, vocals do the job well, and appear in two forms: the classic shrieks, and the deep, clear one. The clear vocals are used for parts of the songs that resemble choruses, and really add up to the atmosphere.

Now, the most unpleasant part of my job as a reviewer of this album is to point out it's flaws. Make no mistake, I do praise the album high-and-low, but those damn flaws are always there. First off, I mentioned in the first paragraph that I understood why the band is so underrated. Here it is: the music is just too damn complicated for most people. It is not catchy whatsoever, there is rarely a song or a part of it that stands out from the rest, and it requires full concentration. This ain't like most power metal albums, where you have your favourite songs which you select and listen to while doing laundry. No, that is not how you must approach this album. The entire thing is there to paint a single picture, as the tracks simply slide one from another with you barely noticing. Close your eyes, and play the album from start to finish. It is the only way you can experience its dark magic, and be impressed with it as I was.