This is an exercise in eclectic music if ever there was one. Beginning with a bizarre techno track, the band then launches into what can only be described as the the strangest parts of DORNENREICH, PAN.THY.MONIUM and SPASTIC INK wedded together with the fury of CARPATHIAN FOREST thrown in as a bonus. A bizarre carnival of an album, TRAUMATIC VOYAGE are not for the traditional Metal head, or perhaps even for the experimental Metal head. There are most definitely Metal riffs on this record, but they are the wood of a building. They are there, but what holds the album together and ornaments owes itself to the techno scene. The guitars are sharply raw, making this even more an album that demands work from the listener. Perhaps the best way to look at this album is to examine the Metal world’s reaction to the new MAYHEM record, with astonishment. From the looks of it, this is a radical departure from their earlier material. If you’re up for new things, give this a try. If you want to experiment, but still know more or less what you’ll be getting, stick with THERION. www.traumatic-voyage.de