All things have a beginning. This also goes for the Dutch band Dimæon, which has released this demo-cd in 2005 after a few years of diligent practicing and performing live. On it we find three tracks which together clock more than thirty minutes, I've got albums in my collection with shorter playing times. This band, comprised of six members and self-categorized as 'progressive death doom', claims to have been influenced in a significant way by Opeth, which can indeed be detected. However, this also reminds me of older death doom acts such as Beyond Belief and early Nightfall. As a consequence the music possesses a certain old school feel, which is a good thing in my book. It could also be that this is a side effect of the demo's production, which happens to be a few percent below the expected average for the current era. Because of this it's my presumption that some of the instruments sound not as good as could have been possible; the bright side of this disadvantage is that it adds the kind of underground atmosphere to the music that I happen to like. The various building blocks which Dimæon utilizes to compose its tracks are familiar yet fit into each other tightly. Melancholy as well as melody have been integrated into the whole in a competent way, also the atmospheric elements have not been forgotten. The drum rhythms are variable and the singer's combination of clear vocals and aggressive deathgrunts give a distinctive direction to the songs. As far as first encounters go, this disc has been an enjoyable introduction to Dimæon for me.

I was told that this band is a rather good live act, given the fact that they've won the Friesche Metal Battle in 2005 this doesn't come as a surprise to me. Watching Dimæon live on stage certainly is one of the things on my to-do list. In case you've gotten curious, on the band's website you can download a track and, if desired, order the demo.