Reviewed by Greg Sammons

I came across this gothic Catholic Polish metal ensemble last year when I received the wonderfully titled 'Demo II'. And on that EP was the amazing "The Light", which I gave significant airplay on the Rock And Hard Place. It is the same song that is once again the highlight on this debut album too. The album sandwiches their live show from 2004 between the remastered 'Demo I' (2000) and 'II' (2002). So whilst there is plenty of new material even for Illuminandi fans (I wonder if there are many yet in the UK?), there are only two new songs - both of which are live versions. Illuminandi's lyrics are often transcriptions of parts of the Bible and are almost all in Polish, although the sleevenotes have them in English. The music is gothic, dark and ethereal with strings playing a large part (cello and violin), as well as female vocals to compliment the more gruff male stylings. This is very orchestral, operatic almost and often very heavy and will appeal to fans of the European gothic scene, ranging from Nightwish and Within Temptation to Dimmu Borgir and Lacuna Coil. This is certainly a good compilation of what they've produced so far but it leaves me pining for newer material.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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