A triumph of dark metal mastery, Finland's Black Crucifixion finally release new material, the first since their 1993 EP 'Promethean Gift'. Marking a huge shift in direction, but one that makes total sense, 'Faustian Dream' takes a page from the book of Celtic Frost's most mournful material and heads into the territory bands like Tiamat, Sentenced and Samael toyed with before moving ahead in their own evolutions. Make no mistake: this is not an accessible, mainstream-oriented album, though it remains memorable throughout. 'Faustian Dream' is a brave step into deeply melancholic and emotionally challenging songcraft.
