The first thing that goes through your mind, when you spin The Cancer Empire is “Is this a Dimmu Borgir side project”? Unfortunately it is also the second, third and fourth thing to go through your mind. When its about to go through your mind for the fifth time, you try to locate and concentrate on something, just a single bite, in the music, that will not remind you of Dimmu Borgir. Then it dawns: The keyboard player isn’t nearly as good as Øyvind Mustaparta (a.k.a. Mustis).
Zonaria can play, no doubt about it, but their innovative skills are, apparently, not very well developed. The Cancer empire is a dark and grimly symphonic, procedural masterpiece, but it completely lacks originality. Songs like At War with the Inferior and The Icon and the Faceless could very well be material stripped from Death Cult Armageddon. Don’t get me wrong, inspiration makes the world go around, but there are limits. Zonaria obviously consist of some very talented musicians. They should try to find a style of their own.
