bartosso But then all hell broke loose...

Blacker and more straightforward than its predecessor, Earth Diver is a ride through a land where black metal can be harmonic without being cheesy, where the spirit of classic heavy metal pervades every track without making the whole sound stale, where folk vibes make you think of Opeth without making it sound LIKE Opeth, where everything sounds familiar and yet feels completely unique.

It’s a neverland, a paradise where even cormorants turn out to be nice and productive birds. Their acidic shit makes flowers blossom and dead trees flourish again. In all seriousness, though, I’m really digging Cormorant and while it may seem hard to pinpoint the exact thing that makes them truly great, I think it’s "just" about them being extremely passionate and talented. This guys are genuinely in LOVE with the music they make, and it shows big time. There is not much here you haven’t heard before but the way it is all put together… it’s like a chocolate cake with a secret ingredient, the one you’d pick over any other cake. There’s no filler here, no unfulfilled promises. Even lyrics - an often neglected aspect of metal music - are elaborate and worthwhile, even if not as much as on Dwellings.

While not as breathtaking as the previous album, Earth Diver is yet another proof of Cormorant being among the best songwriters in the business. Bold as it may sound - I’m talking about an obscure, independent band that releases their albums for free, after all - it is as true as a subjective opinion can be. Anything you could possibly want from an extreme eclectic metal album, Earth Diver has it, and more.

Primeval Scum Cormorant proves they can still be Cormorant without Arthur Von Nagel. The new vocalist fits in perfectly and has better range than Von Nagel, allowing the band to go after a more black metal-oriented sound than before. However, Cormorant's identity is still very much intact. If you loved their story-based lyrics and ambitious compositions, you will find more of that on Earth Diver.

The first five tracks are very strong and were on pace to earn this album a 4-star ratings, but the final three tracks were weaker and seemed to drag in comparison. None of the tracks stand out as masterpieces, but "Sold as a Crow", "Waking Sleep", and "The Pythia" are the highlights.

For me, Earth Diver is actually a slight improvement over Dwellings, but doesn't quite live up to the brilliance of Metazoa, which is still my favorite Cormorant album.