Lantlôs - .neon (2010)^{Release ID: 6173}

This is a really great album. The German's had a really solid year when it came to black metal & I find this release to have a freshness & originality that took me by surprise. The jazz interludes are nice & the shoegaze influence works particularly well. The extra melodic element is still quite deep & keeps me interested throughout. The faster drumming sections could with a bit of tightening up & the production is not brilliant but that doesn't take away from the overall atmosphere. Closer "Neon" is the highlight. It would be interesting to see what Lantlos could do with a bigger production. This was definitely amongst the best black metal album I heard in 2010.