BLACK LOTUS are relatively new to the Metal scene having released their first EP only three years ago in 2005. Vocally they differ very little from ENSLAVED, which isn’t a bad thing because the early ENSLAVED records are sterling. BLACK LOTUS alternate between the Grutle Kjellson wolfish howl, and the clear bellowing of PRIMORDIAL. A curious sounding mix, but it works marvelously. Keyboards are present, though not overwhelming as they are in a band like LIMBONIC ART. Their role is a comparatively minor one. The riffs are what drives this record, and they are nothing short of grand. Altogether, this record is very majestic, like a series of paintings doing the work of words. It’s easy to imagine crenelated battlements wreathed in vines, with the ghosts of long dead warriors patrolling the surrounding battlements in a foggy rain with these sounds. Recommended. www.blacklotusmusic.net, www.myspace.com/blacklotusmetal