Excitement swiftly squashed, another cast iron installment diminishes my faith once again. In retrospect, my expectations were unreasonable, considering this is a direct follow up to Pandemonium. Unable to grow past this Gothic symphonic Trance fusion with Rammstein style Industrial Metal, Gothminister recycles their blueprint with even less pizzazz than usual. Scenic interludes play underwhelming, attempting to raise theatrical stake yet any deviation from the tested formula sadly felt stale.
The word of the record is "we". More so than ever, this perspective illuminates itself, a Gothic horror inspired realm of witches, demons, ghouls, zombies and monsters of the underworld. These flag waving war cries paint a protagonist's voice for these unsavory beings, rallying them together in the shadows. Its fun but at this point driven into the ground. Repeated lyrical cadences and thematic stagnation churn the whole anthemic angle into rigmoral, as track after tracks repeats itself with little new to offer.
When bands fail to evolve, they run the risk of writing themselves into a corner. It's a shame, a few albums back they hit a nerve. That spark is lost. Every song here lingers in its shadow, saying nothing new and often making you feel a sense of Deja-Vu.
Rating: 4/10