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The Extinct Dreams is a relatively young Russian band who previously released two demos since their formation in 2006. The quintet is now presenting their 2008 offering and debut full-length album called Ars Moriendi, which is in fact the band's first moniker.

The musical direction they have chosen is essentially Doom Metal, although they also include various influences including Death Metal. Mostly moderate in tempo, they make crafty use of slow paces occasionally. Lots of crushing guitar passages with strong percussions and deep growls are balanced out by ambient keyboards and subtle leads and arpeggios on this 58 minutes opus. The mood can be calm, depressive, kicking and even hectic. At times the sound becomes muddy when the tone is heavier, which is a bit distracting. What bothers me the most though with Ars Moriendi are the sudden bursts of fast tempos, the "Grind" parts. I would not go as far as calling them "Grind" as such, just inappropriate hectic moments. It kind of ruins the moody/somber atmosphere Doom Metal was made for in the first place. The title track is the best composition on this release. The 14 minutes instrumental is delicately filled with melancholy, arpeggios, ambient keyboards as well as bone crushing riffs and heavily slow passages. Great music!

Ars Moriendi is not bad at all, but if they can improve their sound a bit and definitely drop those strange bursts of speed, a great album is very possible the next time around.