AMG Review of Archives, Vol. 1

Johnny Loftus
All Music Guide

Volume One of Delerium's #Archives series includes selections from four early albums: Faces, Forms & Illusions; Morpheus; Syrophenikan; and Stone Tower. Fans will obviously be familiar with this material already, but it's nevertheless an uncovering of the band's interesting, often eerie roots. The first two albums are disquietingly spare, often relying on minimal percussion and echoing soundscapes to get their point across. Standouts include "Fragments of Fear," and the comparably upbeat, light industrial thud of "Sword." 1991's Syrophenikan vacillates between spooky navel-gazing (the Coil-ish "Shroud"), and synth-heavy, mid-tempo experimentation ("Of the Tribe"), while Archives, Vol. 1 closes with the cathedrals-collapsing-in-slow-motion dirges of Stone Tower. Highly recommended for Delerium completists.