Review by Adam M on March 11, 2011.

A Symphonic Black Metal barrage of sounds is created by Atrium Noctis. Their sound is at once sweeping, emotional and abrasive. It recalls the atmospheres created by the band Emperor on albums like "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk," however with a more restrained and melodic nature. The vocals shift to meet the musical tapestries as effectively as possible. There’s a combination of higher and lower pitched vocals to be found. It leads to a sound that is constantly changing to meet the needs of the outfit.

Overall the musicianship is tasteful and well performed, particularly in the guitar work. However, the drumming is a low-point as it sounds hollow and buried in the mix. Songs are peppered with a heavy amount of keyboard usage to add part of the melodic aspect the outfit tries to attain. The music is moving when it’s on, which is very frequently. There are times when it loses some momentum and drags slightly. However, for the most part, Atrium Noctis kept my attention. The bombastic elements of the disc are combined nicely with the more somber moments to make for a complete album. Right from the opener 'In Memoriam Moriendi' the tone is set for an atmospheric release that will have a variety of moods. In fact, the opening song is definitely a standout.

Atrium Noctis may not have the visceral impact of some Black Metal bands, but they enough atmosphere created to make up for it, easily. The album has some peaks and low-points, but it is nonetheless an entertaining listen for those that have the patience. Those that are able to sit through the fairly long running length of the disc will find many emotional moments to become attached to. "Home" is a very good Melodic and Symphonic Black Metal effort.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 7
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 7.6

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Brexaul on December 19, 2020.

Gimmick bands have been on the rise and while this is not something new, it is slowly becoming an awful trend since most bands spend more time trying to find their quirk instead of composing and refining their sound. Ecclesia (Greek for church) from France, might seem like a typical gimmick band, especially if you take a look at the band members' pseudonyms and their overall clinging to the dark ages of the inquisition but shit-oh-shit this album rocks.

I'll start with the fantastic album cover and the huge weird logo covering most of it. Ecclesia are very on point with their personas and the general aesthetic they want to embrace and every little detail works towards that goal, admirably if I may add. Borrowing heavily from the heavy metal pages of Cathedral, Tad Morose and Candlemass ("Chapter VI" era) they have created a great mixture of doom metal flourished with heavy and power metal elements. The very smart use of the church organ as a primary protagonist, gives an eerie gothic atmosphere to the whole album that sets the grim tone to this epic tale of repentance. Their very talented vocalist Frater Arnhwald sounds great and fits perfectly to what the band is trying to convey, with a multifaced performance ranging from power metal-lish falsettos to flat out death metal growls, always with absolute control and a strong sense of placement.

The guitars are ripping and the songwriting is varied, galloping riffs give their place to slower passages and leads are melodic and haunting. The overall sound is very modern, avoiding the pitfall of an overproduced digital mix, as the band sounds very tight but not robotically precise or devoid of emotion. That haunted backdrop is ever-present and the whole album sounds very coherent both lyrically and musically. I also really enjoyed the small touch of renaming the Venom classic "Don't Burn The Witch" to 'Burn the Witch' just so it fits their narrative. The only thing that prevents me from giving the album an even higher score is that I feel that the first half is slightly, yet distinguishably stronger than the second half and that seems weird for an album that lasts 43 minutes. But this doesn't mean that the second half is bad, far from it, songs like 'Deus Vult' could be highlighted in some other tracklists.

Ecclesia offers a not-so-new, but very welcome approach to the doom metal formula, one that might appeal more to the average power metal fan. I spent the whole year juggling my favourite doom metal album between Sorcerer and Stygian Oath, but the French inquisitors (what a paradox) came in at the last minute, all torches blazing and now I have to re-do my lists. Overall a very enjoyable album and a very promising start to what I hope won't shift to the gimmicky side of the spectrum.

Standout tracks: 'Vatican III', 'Montségur'

Rating: 8.9 out of 10