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A real joy is a label whose taste is so reliable that you can buy something just because of their stamp on it. Listenable used to be one of those, Oaken Shield still is, I think. Van, in Germany is one such, and Cold Dimensions are turning out to be one too, if they keep this up. The last CD I got from this outfit was by the excellent Geist, but I have to say that this new (and apparently last) one from Lunar Aurora is even better. No surprise, as LA have been around for over a decade, and this their eighth full-length album, but many, many bands hang in there for years and only wish they were this good.

Lunar Aurora play a bleak, epic style of Black Metal infused with a certain folkish tinge to the riff-work. They have a great guitar sound, and lack for neither heaviness nor texture. There is a certain similarity to Himinbjorg or Moonsorrow's more recent works, especially in the guitar tone and riffage, and the use, here and there, of some clean vocals only cements that. But there is a coldness and misanthropy at work here that calls to mind the great Immortal as well. Actually, despite these comparisons, Lunar Aurora have their own sound. They are heavy and complex, never coasting too long on one riff or melody, but relying on good, solid riffs that are quite atypical for Black Metal, with a lot of dynamic. Lunar Aurora never get dull, and as even some very fine BM bands share a tendency to run good ideas into the ground, this is a welcome trait.

This is claimed to be the last album by this great underground band, but if they had to stop here, at least like Belenos they left us with a fine, fine work to close on. A highly recommended album.