Arcanum Sanctum take traditional melodic death metal to heart and combine this sound with elements of technical thrash and contrasting deeply melodic instrumentals to produce their outstanding debut release Fidus Achates. Despite many a debut album of somewhat mediocre quality, you can imagine my surprise to find this album masterful in every way – from precise musicianship to crisp production that allows every aspect to shine through.

In the beginning we hear melodic death metal reminicient of early Children of Bodom or Dark Tranquility though they do not stick strictly to this formula. A slightly different spin is put on a tried and true sound, perhaps a Russian flair that destinguishes Arcanum Sanctum from the typical Swedish or Finnish style. An aggressive, technical, and upbeat style spans the first four tracks until “Moment of Death” introduces the beginning of a deeper, more mellow feel that seems to seep into the second half of the album. In “The Way to No Man’s Land” we hear a surprising, yet beautifully contrasting acoustic harmony and “Dreamkeeper” follows with equally stunning keyboard instrumental to kick off what sounds to me (very briefly) like early Dimmu Borgir. If I had to choose a favourite part of this entire album, that intro would be it. The remainder of the song pulls back the usual melodic death influences we hear in the first tracks followed by a slow, harmonized instrumental outro to finalize the album on an impressive note.

The dynamic switch between aggressive melodic death metal and both acoustic and keyboard instrumentals is a combination I see as this album’s most captivating aspect. It shows off the creative range and versatility these fellas are capable of and keeps the music vastly interesting. When you listen to Fidus Achates you are not only hearing each individual element and style, but also you are enveloped in the feeling of the album as a whole. We’re thankful it finally found its way into the world after years in the making, and it’s an accomplishment these melodic masterminds should be proud of.

9/10

• Genre: Melodic Death Metal
• Label: More Hate Productions
• Origin: Russia