Celestial Season
Forever Scarlet Passion (CD) 1993 Adipocere Records
It is hard to imagine that a band now well known within the stoner genre once was able to create a death/doom-metal masterpiece as this. Because 'Forever Scarlet Passion' is one of the great albums within this genre. The usually slowly forward rolling music is complimented by melancholic violin work. The grunts sound very desperate, almost like a plea for mercy. It brings up the tendency to dim the lights, get out some candles, red wine and just sit there soaking up the misery. Every so often the music does get a bit groovy and with hindsight you can hear the hints of their future stoner sound (like on the track: 'In Sweet Bitterness'). But still this is definately atmospheric death/doom right up there with giants like My Dying Bride and older Anathema. After the album is finished I usually am only left with one burning question; Why oh why could they not have continued in this direction?!	1. Cherish my Pain 2. The Merciful 3. In Sweet Bitterness 4. Ophelia 5. Together in Solitude 6. Mother of all Passions 7. Flowerskin 8. Afterglow 9. For Eternity Approx. 44 minutes
Reviewed by: Aldo Quispel
Solar lovers (CD) 1994 Displeased records
This time, the artwork and pictures of this album are quite misleading: vivid colours, stoned bandmembers on the pictures and somewhere within the booklet a big logo with the text "Groover". What the heck is going on? Wasn't this a band that made a doom debut? Yes it was, and actually 'Solar lovers' is still a doom album, although with some more "groovy" influences. The guitar sound is pretty heavy reminding of the typical sound of Orphanage and Within Temptation. This is not really surprising, since the production is done by Lex Vogelaar from Orphanage. The band makes use of the skills of two excellent violin players, whose contribution to the creation of this heavy, but atmospheric album is very important. Some of the guitar solo's are quite groovy reminding of '70 rock 'n roll, with wah-wah pedals and everything, but they actually make the music more interesting and original. The doom version of the Ultravox classic 'Vienna' is way cool! Unfortunately, this was their last album using doom elements, after this they somehow transformed into a bunch of flower power hippies.	1. Decamerone 2. Solar Child 3. Body as Canvas 4. Soft Embalmer of the Still Midnight 5. Will you wait for the Sun? 6. The Holy Snake 7. Dancing to a Thousand Symphonies 8. Vienna 9. Fandango 10. The Scent of Eve 11. A Tune from the Majestic Queen's Garden Approx. 48 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou