Orkrist is the first band (that I know off) I ever heard from Slovakia, and it was a surprise to hear that Eastern Europe caught up with the West and Scandinavia in terms of production technology and sound quality. Musically Orkrist is a combination of Nightwish, Therion and medieval influences Female singer Lydia Lacova (who also plays the flute) has a good voice, which at first seems a bit off key but soon grows on you. The only negative thing about her contribution is her very thick accent. It`s obvious that Nightwish singer Tarja has been a great influence on her but Lydia certainly isn’t just a copycat.

Personally I think the album is a bit to clean and mellow but the average Gothic metal fan should find this an interesting release. Reginae Mysterium is released by KRV Records, a new Slovakian label. This is the labels their first release, judging by the fact that this has been labeled KRV001, which makes it important for this album to sell well. It shouldn’t be a problem except for the enormous amount of gothic metal releases which keep pouring out from everywhere. Hopefully for KRV the lovers of this kind of gothic metal will notice this decent but, to be honest, not very original album.