AMIA VENERA LANDSCAPE

To start with, I'd like to say the cover art is inspiring, few album covers grab my attention like this one.

1. Empire 7:25: A powerful, heavy and fast track, with notable riff and drum work. (3/5)

2. A New Aurora 7:21: In the same fashion as the first track. This one includes clear vocals, which really fit into the ambient of the album. (4/5)

3. My Hands Will Burn First 3:02: A short, sweet and emotional track (careful, it's not 'sweet' at all, we're talking about post-progressive-tech metal). The vocals and the drums shine throughout the whole song. (4/5)

4. Ascending 8:06: This song is 'different', its mostly instrumental, and ambiental, with less riffs and stuff, and more 'soundscape', a break from the tracks before. (5/5)

5. Glances (Part I) 2:05: A short instrumental passage, with a really interesting "backwards" section, that blends in to the second part of the song. (3/5)

6. Glaneces (Part II) 4:07: The "single" of the album, vocals and all the things you want to hear from this kind of band. No wonder it has a youtube video with lots of views. (2/5)

7. Marasm 14:35: My favourite track of the album, a true journey through post metal, ambient, and unseen stuff. Maybe this track alone gives the album the title of "best of 2010". (5/5)

8. Nicholas 8:50: An overall awesome track, it showcases everything AVL can do, in a powerful yet emotional way. Really enjoyable. (5/5)

9. Infinite Sunset Of The Sleepless Man 2:56: Another instrumental break, that clears the path for the last track of the album. (3/5)

10. The Traitors' March 7:46: An outstanding song, with a hard-to-forget build-up and explosion, in a soul-crushing way ("I'm still hereeeeeeee"). Tremendous way to close the album, AVL delivers once again. (5/5).

All in all, it is one of the best records of the year, definitely deserving more than a single listening. There will be "oh god!", and also "this again?" and "what the [%*!#]?" moments, but it's overall a great album, that will captivate any post-metal fan.

4/5.