ILLNATH - Third Act In The Theatre Of Madness

Illnath is a band from Denmark, and this is their third album so far. The band exists since 1999 and started as a Symphonic Black band, but their sound evolved into more Death Metal forms. This was accomplished by the almost complete line up change, and by the replacement of the singer with a female vocalist. So, what we basically have here is a female fronted Death Metal band, and let me assure you that they are good at what they are playing. First of all the singer is very good, either on the growling part, or in the clear vocals that exist here and there and enhance the atmosphere of the album. The music is both melodic and groovy enough, and fits perfectly with the vocals, with enough keybords and plenty of twists. The majority of the songs are very good, with no moments where things are not interesting or less powerful. Although the few similarities of their sound with bands like Arch Enemy, the band has managed to create a more personal style, and those moments are not enough to spoil the good result. The arrangements are good, varying in style, with reminding their their early days, to more Melodic Death moments, and everything in between, and the band shows that doesn't afraid to explore their sound even more. The production is good enough, as raw and brutal as an album like this needs, but gives enough space for all the details of the music to come to surface. Not the most innovative release ever, but an honest album, with more than enough variety.

8/10