DEAD AS DREAMS

Weakling noted the commonality between the wall of guitars sound in black metal and the wall of guitars sound in shoegaze (a la My Bloody Valentine) and really exploit the common ground between the two to the hilt, creating this intriguing album which expands the pallette of black metal and features epic, prog rock-length tracks that have a nigh-hypnotic effect on the listener. The sharp production allows for greater appreciation of the parts played by the individual members - bassist Sarah Weiner's playing is particularly noteworthy - and it's only comparatively recently with the emergence of other progressive/shoegaze black metal bands that the genius experiments dabbled in here are really getting the attention they deserve.