Review by Krys on September 1, 2002.

Our most untamed Finish boys are back with what is already their 4th full-length record. “Cypher” not only represents the best material in bands career but also displays the shortest and easiest to remember title. If you think that’s not important than take a look at the list of tracks and be thankful that you have something easy to remember and relate to when you discuss it with your fellow metalheads.

In one sentence “Cypher” is a continuation of “A.M.G.O.D.” where industial/techno keyboards are incorporated with aggressive and powerful metal but with much better ideas and a more careful arrangement. “Aggressive and powerful metal” was used here because I can’t simply put a tag on this band without reconsidering my opinion after every few spins. The band’s influences can be heard from almost every metal genre (well, maybe not from power metal), blending of all kinds of industrial and techno sounds they create something that’s not really comparable to anything else on the scene. If you’ve never heard them before try to mixed Pain, The Kovenant, The Project Hate MCMXCIX and Ram-Zet... but bear in mind ...And Oceans is none of the above.

If you had problems categorizing “A.M.G.O.D.” then “Cypher” will not help you in that matter either, but as long as the music keeps my head moving I don’t really care. And believe me you’ll be headbanging in no time. From opener ‘Fragile: Pictures Of Silence: Melting The Skies’ till ‘Debris: The Magenta Harvest: Liquid Flesh’ ...And Oceans rips through with memorable riffs, a pounding rhythm section, aggressive vocals and cold keyboard textures that make “Cypher” their most mature release where all musical elements complement each other rather than fighting for space and exposure. As always the last track is fully electronic and it beats the shit out of me why do they do this but since the first 12 songs have been rocking my house for over a week now I’m going to forgive them this mishap.

Bottom Line: ...And Oceans never was, and I hope never will be, just another band on today’s metal scene. Always striving for unique sound and vision they finally created an album where all their concepts and ideas fall into place... and I’m afraid that’s just the beginning.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

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

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on July 25, 2020.

Thy Numinous Darkness, the sophomore album of Aegrus, was released in 2017. It’s a good album, no doubt at all. But wedged between the masterpieces Devotion for the Devil and In Manus Satanas, it is not easy for the material to get the attention the album actually deserves. I have heard that insiders call this phenomenon the Quorthonic “The Return…” syndrome. In other words, in view of two very strong competitors, nuances play a bigger role than they usually do. For example, the opener 'Embodiment of Chaos' starts with ice-cold guitar sounds, but the beginning makes a promise the song cannot fully keep. It’s a good piece, but a surprisingly soft break is quite annoying. Bone-shaking openers of other black metal classics are like a diabolic explosion of power, just think of Behexen’s “By the Blessing of Satan” or Marduk’s “The Hangman of Prague”. In comparison, the first song of Thy Numinous Darkness appears relatively faceless. However, it is still better than the closer of the album. Its title ('Transcendence') indicates the more or less airy and gliding approach of this instrumental. The song marks a surprisingly weak ending of an album of a great band, but who is free from sin?

However, Aegrus also dish up true diamonds of the genre. 'Black Goat Manifest' celebrates six minutes of pure sin with an irresistible, catchy yet merciless chorus and an absolutely flawless overall impression. The guitar finds the perfect black melodies with instinctive certainty, the tempo changes work excellently and neither vehemence nor velocity are missing. Not to mention the constant nagging of lead vocalist Inculta. Seemingly obsessed by Satan himself, he spits out his evil poetry in a masterful manner. This piece and the title track show the full potential of Aegrus. The duo belongs to the best formations of the genre in Suomi – and to be among the best Finnish bands means to be among the best of the world, right? 'Thy Numinous Darkness' (the song) starts almost dreamy, but it turns out to be a pitch-black torpedo that flexes its muscles while high-speed rhythms ensure that the cold and slightly depressive melody lines have a horrifying impact.

These two tracks stand out, but all songs between the opener and the closer jump over the imaginary 80%-hurdle with great ease. 'The Black Stream of Death' is based on an almost rocking guitar line, nevertheless, it unfolds a more than profound darkness. To listen to Inculta while he is crying in agony during the slowest part of the song is nice – and the dominating, more furious sequences are even better. 'Dark Essence' is driven by a great, berserk guitar that shows an immaculate mix of brute force and harsh harmonies. This song is good enough to survive a calm and almost meditative instrumental section – and the opener taught us that this is no matter of course. Additionally, it cannot be taken for granted that the vinyl glitters with a fascinating production. The album sounds opaque enough to create a cruel atmosphere, but it also does not lack the necessary share of transparency. In its best moments the material appears as thick lava that cannot be stopped.

The colourless artwork and the entire design of the 12” are very convincing, even though I am too old for posters. Given this situation and the fact that six out of eight pieces hail Lucifer in a very competent manner, the laborious start and the relaxed end of Thy Numinous Darkness are all the more regrettable. Anyway, as mentioned above, it’s a good or even a very good and recommendable album. Nonetheless, its neighbours have a slightly larger garden, even though the scarecrow of Aegrus (have a look at the artwork) is well done - and it wants you to lend an ear to its album.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10