Resembling on the surface something from a forgotten Death Metal album, “Totentanz,” by Ukraine’s THUNDERKRAFT advances upon the battlefield with a different sort of armored tank division. Truly I don’t mean to poke fun but there are times during this record when I wonder just what the hell happened to BAL-SAGOTH? For that matter, what happened to other such keyboard ecstatic bands? Perhaps they died and found new life in THUNDERKRAFT. A record such as this one is like a tapestry of different influences. Whether they come together in a plausible, serious way is, as always, not for me to say definitively. However, I would say this eclectic album absolutely has its good parts; parts with dark, heavy riffs, and interesting rhythms. But on the whole I can’t award this album much more than a lukewarm salute. While some songs such as ‘Mass Defect’ contain good riffs and interesting instruments to accompany them, this album is cheesy enough to qualify for a good role playing game’s soundtrack. Again, this is not to say that THUNDERKRAFT are necessarily bad songwriters, but rather to say that their songs, as they exist now, just don’t elicit the response I think they’re looking for. For instance, the title track, ‘Totentanz’ could give MORBID ANGEL a lesson in obnoxious computer music. Seriously, after songs that were at least halfway heavy, a computer programmer’s throwaway homemade track doesn’t help carry the album forward. Then there are sappy songs like ‘Death Won’t Separate Us’. This song in particular was enough to offend. Surely a more radio-friendly Metal song never existed. However, as I mentioned before there are riffs and movements on this album that are very good and the one reason why I think THUNDERKRAFT have some talent. Nevertheless, if they keep this video game song stuff up I’ll jump ship. www.myspace.com/thunderkraft, www.svarga.eu