This venerable German outfit doesn't seem to know that time has passed it by. Thank goodness.

Cradle of Haze Zehntausend Seelen (darkSIGN)

Yes, I know Rammstein is mounting an American amphitheater tour this summer, but there just aren't many bands making this sort of grand gothic industrial metal. It's certainly not a sound on the rise. But Cradle of Haze shows that a lifetime of experience is worth plenty.

For starters, the band is fine with excess. Soaring guitars and keyboard riffs, epochal hooks and a sensibility that never loses touch with the melodic side of all these sounds. Oh, and the German lyrics that add a certain mystery for most folks on this side of the Atlantic.

I don't think Cradle of Haze has evolved much at all. I'm fine with that. This album is one of the best expressions of this sound that I've heard in quite a while. Crank up the volume, dive in and experience sensory overload. Anything less would be a disservice.

Jon Worley