Band:	Garden Of Delight
Album:	Apocryphal I: The Fallen
Style:	Gothic rock
Release date:	2003

01. This Priesthood
02. Northern Skies
03. Lost Eden
04. From The Ashes Of Angels
05. Northern Skies II
06. Shemyaza
07. Angelic War In Heaven
08. Dead Sea Scrolls

After the fulfillment of the first circle in the 90s (7 albums with 7 songs each one of them in 7 years - 7 is a powerful number and 7 thrice [777] is a symbol/number of perfection) Artaud Seth decided that there was a need to pause the band. With the new millennium Garden of Delight open the new circle with "Radiant Sons" and "Dawn", a circle that emerges in greatness with "Apocryphal I and II". The 90s were a great period for Garden of Delight with The Fields of the Nephilim influences in the music, the vocals and the lyrical concept being obvious, yet without sounding like a simple copy of McCoy's invocations but harmonizing their influences with their own ideas in a wonderful way. The 00s seem to be a very promising decade for Artaud and his sworn to the dark side companions since they have found their very own musical horizon having a personal style and sound with their influences being too general to be mentioned.

The two "Apocryphal" albums deal with the apocryphal writings referring to a fallen race, the Nephilim, fallen angels that chose to defy God and decided to seek, to know, writings that were banned by the church and ended to the fire due to their "heretical" concept. "Apocryphal I: The Fallen" is the first part of the "Apocryphal" concept and is another monumental album be Artaud and the Delightful one, an album filled with an intense devout but at the same time dark atmosphere with the keyboard melodies floating in the distant night sky, the rhythm section lending groove to the compositions and the guitars evoking dreams of the Lost Ones accompanying Artaud's deeply passionate, utterly expressive deep voice summoning thoughts lost in infernal fire, wisdom burnt for it would be a thorn on the back of the church?

The album opens with "This Priesthood" and the inspired gothic rock guitar riffing, the imposing rhythm section and Artaud's descriptive deep voice contribute into evoking an intense devout atmosphere making this composition one of the highlights of "Apocryphal I" leading to another masterpiece, "Northern Skies". Enchanting keyboard melodies begin the composition and keep on enriching its overall atmosphere through its whole duration floating in the air harmonizing wonderfully with the imposing rhythm section and the fabulous melodic guitar chords as they accompany Artaud's passionate at times, ecstatic at others expressive voice forming another Garden of Delight opus and personal favorite. "Lost Eden" follows and continues the album in low-tempo rhythm based on the pulsating bass lines and the soft-sounding gothic rock guitar chords that pace in a magic way with Artaud's interpretation strengthening the serene atmosphere of the song.

"Apocryphal I" flows with "From the ashes of angels" filled with an intense mystic atmosphere evoked by the synth-born ethereal dark voices echoing from above as Artaud interprets freezing the audience with his exceptional voice under the sound of an imposing bass guitar and some guitar chords leading to "Northern Skies II", an extended electro-influenced version of "Northern Skies", a song that in my opinion shouldn't have been part of this album. "Shemyaza" continues the album, an elegiac composition filled with inspired melodies evoked by the lyrical guitar riffing and Artaud's full of passion singing enchanting the listener. "Angelic war in heaven" lets the album flow in dark/ambient soundscapes with Artaud reciting the last seconds of the Angelic War as the dreary sound of the bass guitar floats in the air pacing with the desperate synth-born sounds that echo here and there reaching the end with an utterly atmospheric piece, "Dead sea scrolls". Slow doomy guitar riffing in the Black Sabbath way with the imposing sound of the bass guitar accompanying Artaud's dark recites as he interprets lyrics of the great apocalypse during the first half of the song and as it goes on the synth-born melodies and the bass lines take place strengthening the overall nocturnal but tranquil feeling leading to utter silence?

Definitely "Apocryphal I" is one of the best Garden of Delight albums ever. More melodies, heavier guitars, an absolute dark feeling that is always there and of course the much better production are the main characteristics of this album.

"?And glance of day will never shine."