Review by ChadL on March 15, 2002.

Ever since Mayhem put out the controversial "Grand Declaration of War", there has been a non-stop onslaught of spacey/electronic injected black metal coming out of Europe. "Spectral Transition - Dimension Sirius" is definitely one of the best. This Portuguese band will be a powerful force in the coming years. This album is much more extreme than their last. While they are not the first to try their black hearts in this style, they do what they do very well.

The music itself reminds me a lot of newer Behemoth, but with a thicker sound and a lot more keyboards. The keyboards are performed tastefully, without watering down band's assault. The atmosphere created by the guitars and drums are very cold, murderous and precise. The drums sound like they are triggered so they have that mechanical "clicky" sound, but still sound powerful. Where Sirius really shines is their use of the keyboards to offset the mechanical music. The keyboards have a very airy, sweeping sound, much like Emperor's "In The Nightside Eclipse". The aforementioned bands influence is obvious on this album, but that is not bad. This is maybe what “In The Nightside Eclipse” would have sounded like of it was recorded a decade later. Clocking in at just over 50 minutes, this album is definitely worth the money. The songs don't immediately sink in with the listener, the album really needs a few spins before it reveals it's charms.

This album definitely pushes the limits of the current Black Metal in scene. It’s a cold, calculating album that has many surprises along its tour of the pale spheres of the darkened night sky. And there are many guest musicians that lend their talents to the album, including former Emperor members Faust and Samoth (maybe that explains the 'Night of the Graveless Souls' riff in 'Abstract Eerie Corridors').

Bottom Line: If you like newer "space" Black Metal, this is definitely worth a try.

Originality: 8
Production: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Musicianship: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on August 4, 2014.

Panopticon have an atmospheric element that is beyond words and highly addictive. Switching between folk and jazz elements at random is done so successfully on this work. The music is sometimes raw, which I’m not usually drawn towards in black metal, but the emotional impact of other musical elements always take the foreground over this. Coming in at a long running time, the amount of moods created here never lets the music become boring. Instead, a rollercoaster of wonderful emotions is constantly stimulated to lead to an entertained reaction from the listener. There are a couple of moments of sparse sonic utilization to be found, but they are counterbalanced with an excellent array of harsher moments that are grand and majestic.

The dichotomy is similar to older Opeth, but the music is more akin to folk than that. Really, regardless of originality, the musicianship and song-writing are both top notch and constantly propel the album towards greatness. Never is the listener left with a day-dreaming feeling as there is always some musical element that will grab their attention. Instrumentally, the guitar work and drums is done professionally well by limited musicians. Hearing that this is mainly the work of one musician named Austin Lunn, I am impressed by the density of the music here. The production is quite crisp although the instruments could be slightly clearer. The vocals are appropriate, but it’s the instrumental work that I find myself drawn towards throughout the length of the work. As the songs are more like grand pieces of music tied together, I find it difficult to find a standout track and simply recommend the album as a whole. People that are drawn towards the folk side of black metal will enjoy this most, but the emotionally wrought material found on Roads to the North should appeal to almost anyone.

Rating: 9 out of 10