Hated It At First, But...
I'll admit to hating this album at first, despite being a HUGE fan of Arcturus in general. They changed singers, from Kris Rygg aka Garm to Simen Hestnaes aka Vortex, yet that doesn't really explain it because I was a fan of both anyway. Maybe the production was part of it--the band themselves have admitted to being unhappy with it--or maybe I was just being a bitch. Anyway, 'Sideshow Symphonies' grew on me, as they say, and while I still don't love it quite as much as 'The Sham Mirrors' (One of the greatest albums EVER by ANYONE), this is still Arcturus--dramatic, playful, extravagantly melodic, theatrical, and heavy all at once.
