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Well, fellow doomsters, this is not your grandpa's Paramaecium. Exit Jayson Sherlock on drums and enter Mark Orr. Enter Ian Arkley (Ashen Mortality) on guitar, and you still have a great band, but a far cry from the Paramaecium we all came to adore. Now don't leave yet. Although Paramaecium has changed quite a bit since "Within the Ancient Forest", they still know how to put out some quality doom. Andrew Tompkins is still the main growler and he does (as always) a terrific job. The music is extremely heavy, but noticeably different. Ian Arkley has added his own dimension to Paramaecium (which sounds quite similar at times to his work w/Ashen Mortality). However, losing one of the best drummers of all time in Jayson Sherlock is a disappointment. Mark Orr does a nice job, but Mr. Sherlock was just one heck of a drummer. We have the occasional flute and violen mixed in here, but not to the extent that they and other instruments were used on "Within...". Female vocals on the album (although sparse) are very well done. "A Time to Mourn" fits the lyrics perfectly as the words here are very sad at times. The album is dedicated to a friend of the band that recently passed away. If I had to pick a favorite song, I'd have to choose "I'm Not to Blame" (one of the fastest songs that Paramaecium has done) and "My Thoughts". Don't get me wrong. I like this album very much. It is very well done. But if you are expecting a part II of their last album, be prepared for a little bit of a change. One side note: I understand the band's theme for "A Time to Mourn", but I could've done without the back cover that shows a woman with no clothing to be seen. You cannot see anything "bad", but in my opinion it's too revealing and should've been more tastefully done. (Review by Matt)
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