THE IMAGINARY DIRECTION OF TIME

The fact that Hellhammer plays the drums on this album might give the false impression that this is extremely heavy stuff, but it isn't. This one is on the softer side of prog metal. The beautiful string quartet and the mellow piano sound make this album very atmospheric and easy for the ear. So if you like Pain of Salvation but Arcturus is just a bit too much for you, this is the album to get.

The song durations are kept at 4-5 minutes throughout the album, and there isn't even one longer song. This proves out to be a good decision as the music doesn't have room for long technical solo parts because it focuses more on creating enjoyable soundscapes, it's not about showing off. There are guitar solos off course, but little shredding. Jan Axel von Blomberg (Hellhammer) shows why he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. He's very flexible and the double bass drumming is kept at a minimum.

Very impressive and very pleasant to listen to. 4/5