Review by Adam M on May 28, 2025.

This album was revolutionary for the band as it brought their sound freshly into the world and showed them to be an innovative band within the post metal realm.  There are songs like “Watchtower” that will forever be classics of the genre and proved this band to be a contendor within the genre.  They would go on to be a bright and innovative band, but this is where it all started.

Instrumentally, the album is strong and carries with it a great deal of weight.  The guitars crush everything in their path and make for a poignant listen.  The drumming is powerful.  The vocals are distinctive and similar to what we would here in the future from this band.  All in all, this album is musically solid.

The flaw with the album lies in how it is not as innovative as some of the albums the band would craft in the future, despite showing a level of power that is commendable.  It is not quite as cutting edge as some of their other albums, but perhaps more potent.  This is also a very fresh perspective to music and something that hadn’t really been heard in the same manner before.

In conclusion, this was a very strong album that brought a great new act to the forefront.  It is full of catchy and memorable songs that will be forever ingrained in your mind.  The crushing riffs are now etched in history as great and something new to the genre.  Cult of Luna would be more interesting in the future, but never would they have as much impact.

Rating:  7.8/10

Review by Allan on July 7, 2003.

Somewhere out there, between Neurot Recordings and Hydrahead Records, there are a handful of bands that capitalize on the Neurosis'-style. Maybe not exactly, but don't try to tell me that the amazing Neurosis hasn't influenced such bands as Isis, and most recently - and to the most recognizable extent - Cult Of Luna.

Somehow, Cult Of Luna got picked up by one of metals larger labels, Earache. Good for them, I say, and good for us. Cult Of Luna might not be the most original thing, but in relative terms, they're doing a hell of a lot more about that than most bands touting around the metal scene.

"The Beyond" is Cult Of Luna's second release, and their first for Earache. Ten songs of blinding, bone rattling music. This stuff is dense and there is no doubt about that. It tends to alternate between more quiet moments, and others that pummel you into submission. That chugging bass just thumps that rhythm out like all hell is breaking loose while a wall of distorted chords are churned out, creating a storm of aggressive, uncomforting, and edgy music. Even the more quiet moments are likely to insight fear into you. Cult of Luna isn't exactly the kind of band that you're going to want to leave playing when you go to sleep at night. It's quite eerie, to be honest.

However, Cult of Luna is often torn between success and failure for exactly the same reasons. While the aforementioned elements of Cult of Luna help propel them into prosperity, it also creates somewhat of a pit. That pit is what I like to call the gaping hole of monotony. Simply put, there are times when "The Beyond" fails to engage the listener in the desired ways. It's a lengthy album, and at this point Cult of Luna have things that they haven't quite nailed yet. It's easy to get lost in "The Beyond" to the point where, along with Cult of Luna, you lose site of where you're going.

Bottom Line: "The Beyond" is definitely a record of quality. Still, it's not amazing. I predict however that Cult of Luna's greatest hour has yet to come. "The Beyond" is still certainly worth a look into.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 7
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by JD on May 4, 2012.

I love bands that seem to just lurk on the very fringes of breaking out... you know the type. They never got the chance because of perhaps lack of press, management screw-ups or other situations that keep them in the minor leagues so to speak. One such band that should have been way bigger than they have gotten was Florida based Diabolic.

One basic word describes this band who’s internal troubles and member changes have nearly broken this band into many pieces.... powerful. Fusing some shadings of Thrash and blackened lyrics into Death-esque styled metal, Diabolic walks that fine line between complex melodies and having such mind numbing heavy chaos with pure metallic class. They are the apodeme of metal’s classiest.

Eight nasty, melodic, riotous, heavy as fucking lead and purly amazing gore plastered songs are what Diabolic has offered - to a hungry metallic masses. As heavy as any Carcass song, yet monumental as Dark Angel got, this band’s music slices into your mind and sets up a moshpit of epic per portions. Pick any song that is placed on this disk, and you will see why I am so surprised that this band is not up there with the legendary Death or Death Metal innovators Cannibal Corpse.

It is sad that all of this shit has kept such an amazing band from being a favorite in our scene. I say this without reservation, go out and find the albums and promote them to the max. Diabolic deserve for the world’s attention - and a chance to show just how fucking good they are to everyone. Let them make you a DIABOLIC!!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9.5
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9
Originality:9.5
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Mario on September 30, 2008.

Are you conscious of the space around you?
Would you like to explore it more?
Upon the voyage there take notice of the newest Darkspace disc.
Pump up the volume!

Not many bands come out of Switzerland but when they do chances are there's something spectacular on the orbit to encounter. Darkspace, an entity veiled in relative secrecy started in 1999. They released their first two albums in limited quantities. Now after listening to their latest, third opus, I'm not surprised at all that Avantgarde re-released all those discs along with the most current.

So, what's the whole buzz about?
Well, it's not some average black metal elegy piece here but a release with very solid wall of sound a potential receiver must go thru. What I like especially about Darkspace is their so-called 'minimal approach' to the craft, where less is really, really more. Darkness and music.

Cosmic speeds rule here. Keyboards are probably the most important tool in creating that enormous sound-sphere. Occasionally when everything slows down one is being rubbed off by guitars' riffing, but shortly after ambient soundscapes envelop further. Repeat-ness rules here, but it is not monotonous. Drums, quite mechanistic rumblings indeed, are more alien than human, yet that constant 'martian pattern' after a while becomes quite transcendental even hypnotic.

In the final mix the drums on Dark Space III can be heard behind more dominant guitars and keyboards. Occasional vocals surface here and there. These screams are hard to understand, however, they blend well with the whole proceeding of harshness and [un]controlled chaos.
Out of these swirling cacophonic crescendos at one time some voice awakens and we hear:

"Suppose what your faith has said is essentially correct. Suppose there is a universal mind controlling everything, a god willing the behavior of every subatomic particle. Well, every particle has an anti-particle, its mirror image, its negative side. Maybe this universal mind resides in the mirror image instead of in our universe as we wanted to believe. Maybe he's anti-god, bringing darkness instead of light." *

For those who worship Esoteric, early Emperor, Misticium, more ambient oriented entities like Lustmord this release is a must!
This is XXI century music of the spheres; this is my 2008 space odyssey.

*The following dialog sequence of Dark Space III's Dark 3.16, is form the movie "John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness".


Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Originality: 9
Production: 9
Overall: 9