Triumphant return to ITN's glory days
J. Thomas | Fresno, CA USA | 11/05/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This disc marks ITN's rediscovery of the heavy symphonic sound that was behind their greatest albums of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Especially powerful are "Beutereiter" and "Brandland."What's different? Many of the electronic textures from ITN's side project, Les Jumeaux, are also in abundance here -- and the combination works far more often than it doesn't.Why only 4 stars? Three of the 11 songs are reworked versions of earlier ITN material -- a trend that's become disturbingly more prevalent in recent ITN work: take your best melodies and reuse them over and over again. That said, "New Religion" (the remake of "Blue Religion" from "Sense") is much more powerful and energetic than was the already-powerful original."Engel" doesn't qualify as best-of-artist, but it's certainly the best of recent years -- and puts ITN back on my essential-purchases list."