Domus Mundi - Hollenthon

In comparison to Martin Shirenc's later works under the Hollenthon name, the debut 'Domus Mundi' sounds practically amateurish, but this eclectic, jumbled mix of death metal, Austrian folk and Eastern elements only endears it to me more. This is a very weird metal album that would be best approached after at least some degree of initiation through the more approachable symphonic metal works of Haggard, Therion or Dark Lunacy, but it's still guaranteed to be full of surprises. Shirenc's metal rasp and heavy riffs keep the album rooted in a dark and heavy foundation, even when the folky counterpoint attempts to raise it to the cheerful heights of Finntroll, most ...  Read the complete review