Dubbing himself in tribute to the avatar of Evil in Tolkien's Ring Trilogy (but who isn't now; I mean, today you can collect Ring paraphernalia like I once collected Hot Rods as a kid, and Christopher Lee informs any good movie these days), Sauron recoups the scattered bodies of Celtic Frost and Bathory within the framework of dark ambient electronica. Very similiar to (ex-Emperor, melting goblin head) Mortiis, in fact. But whether he calls himself Sauron, Apotheosis or J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, this Malta-based sonic magician can haunt my CD player any time.
Combining tinkly emergent properties of the neopagan paradigm (beautiful folk music conjured from the Amiga computer -- the same system used to forge digital hardcore) with black metal's sighs and body hits, Sauron's got a keen ear not only for what to retain from these two musical styles, but what to leave out as well. The orchestral passages weave a beautiful spell, merged with bubbly synth alchemy and interpolated between moments of guitar-heavy mayhem.
I would unqualifiedly recommend this album to anybody who likes black metal and electronica. Along the same lines as Dominion, Apotheosis simply satisfies.
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