According to the bio Sirius are the masters of cosmic terror. I don`t excatly know what that`s supposed to mean but I do know that they have released a awesomely brutal black metal album entitled Spectral Transition-Dimension Sirius. It`s the second release of this Portugese act. The music bears similarities to that of their illustrious Norwegian acts Dimmu Borgir and even more Emperor. But with guest-performances from (ex) Emperor members Samoth and Faust it can be hardly called surprising that this album also features and Emperor cover (`The Majesty of the Nightsky`). I guess the "cosmic-terror" description in the bio hints at a slight resemblance to the earlier Covenant material. This because of the way in which the band adds a modern/experimental touch to their music through the use of keyboards and sound-effects.

To sum up: Sirius might not be all that original but whatever they do, it`s done in a solid and very effective way! A song like `Paradox Timeline` illustrates this aptly. Blasting at full speed, a few well-placed breaks leading to a hammering guitar/drum assault and a slower paced middle section with a riff that wouldn`t look bad on, for instance, a Morbid Angel record. Tension and aggression in the songs are well-preserved from beginning to end. One of the more interesting black metal records this year (up to now that is, MK) comes from this relatively unknown Portugese (!) act. But this album might just mean the end to obscurity for Sirius.