Despite the piledriver drumming and hammering guitars I'm won over by opening song "When One Bleeds". Vocalist Simon Rodgaard Pedersen does the sort of drain-gurgling vocal I usually run a mile from, but here it works. Maybe it's the outstanding keyboards, which delight in cheesy horror film histrionics. "The Interdiction Of Obscurity" seamlessly mixes keyboards and guitars. Vocals that can only have been created using FX set to 'cheese grater' are enlivened by demonic fairground music. Ironically, given the fact that horror concerns itself with death, this song is full of life. Synthesised strings introduce "Fall Of The Icon", which is most effective when the foot is taken off the pedal, but the mixture of 'fast' and 'even faster' tempos makes for a thrilling ride on the Ghost Train.

"Vivid The Blood Ill-Natured" goes in surprising directions, with unexpected tempos and mood changes. These volt farces never seem random. They keep things interesting. Nobody appreciates anything if they don't have to work for it. "A Phenomenon's Rage – The Burden" gallops across the fields like a zombie highwayman. Fairytale Abuse sound like they thoroughly enjoy making their music, and in this case the listener can share the fun. A spooky church organs forms the introduction to "Troparian For The White Plague" and I briefly wonder if the band are going to do a ballad. Of course they aren't. Some spiralling piano – probably played by a Mad Monk – keeps things interesting.

As "Lust Murder Theatre" plays across the stage it becomes clear that Fairytale Abuse aren't a band you can expect a lot of variety from. To be fair, this song has recognisable sections and some nifty piano-lead, but it's not radically different from anything we've heard so far. Still, this means that if you like the Fairytale Abuse sound you'll like everything on offer here. "At The Gates Of Thorns" is startling because it drops the guitars for a while, placing the emphasis on the vocals and keyboards. It's a brave move, but one which pays well. "Curse Of The Black Opus" is all spiralling classical piano and strings. At any moment I expect the guitars to come crashing in, but they never do. This has got to be the music the band come on stage to. It's grand, opulent and over-the-top. It also leads directly into "Power And Signs Of The Lying Wonders", which is another black/death/horror-metal epic. Closing song "Our Glorious Revivification" is more interesting, which some innovative rhythmic patterns that add to the ghoulish atmosphere. There is an ambition – also displayed elsewhere on this album – which makes Fairytale Abuse worth seeking out. Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd say in public. At nearly seven minutes this song never outstays its welcome.

I can't say that this album has converted me to the cause of black, death or indeed horror metal, but it shows that while labelling music can direct you towards things you like, it can also mean you might miss out if you don't keep an open mind.