Already present on the "Ten Years of Madness" compilation with the very promising track "Arcane of the book of Notions" here they deliver a compilation regrouping, along with the aforementioned title, some tracks taken from their first productions (the tapes "Das Absterben" and "Three Souls For A Reasonable Price" released in 1998) and their previous album "Regno di pianta". Those who follow the evolution of this Russian formation will be curious to discover "Black Mirror", a very good unreleased track - where an impression of despair and melancholy lingers in the air - extracted from the forthcoming LP "Maska". For the neophytes, they will soon fall under the charm of tracks such as "Chambre Ardente" (Russian samples sustained by electronic and martial rhythms that give a quasi-hypnotic aspect to the track) and "Winter" (a long ambient track where the sounds convey a sensation of suffering and sadness).
The record comes in an artwork that is reduced to its most simple expression (a folded paper slipped into a plastic holder), to draw attention only on the music (?) or possibly because it's a cut price production sold at a budget price. It can be noted, however, that a limited version of 60 copies presented in a blue C-shell also exists.

Nathalie F.
January 2002