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So the other day I was thinking to myself, "Hey, I'd really like to hear an album that sounds like Opeth except with a worse production and weirder vocals." Well, luckily a friend sent me this album a few weeks ago, and I didn't really think much of it. It left me generally lukewarm; one of those albums that just never really gets going.

For those who don't know this band - and I imagine there will be many who fall under that category - Dusk are a Pakistani Gothic Metal band with some interesting ideas, and this, their second album, is about as dark as you can get, with a lot of atmosphere and melody from the keys, with the rest of the music filled with long, wanky guitar solos and clickety drums and vocals that alternate between a harsh grunt and an odd, eerie whisper. The main thing here is atmosphere, as the band likes to craft long, synth-fueled passages that remind me of some old horror movies, sounding like the kind of thing that would be playing when the busty, pretty, barely-even-eighteen heroine is running from the killer. Pretty cool, and it makes up for the riffs and vocals not being anything special; a lot of the time they're just sort of "fill in the blank" stuff to pad the album with more material.

So, all in all, this isn't exactly a very metal album a lot of the time, but it's still got some alright stuff. "Night Bulb Angel" actually rocks out in its first half, with a very creepy chorus and a nice riff, "Decadent Little Girl" has a weird title, but it's probably the best song on here with its satisfying groove and nice riffage, and "Hidden From Senses" is a nice mid-paced grind to start off the album. There are a couple spots where things get boring and unfocused, and sadly these are a little too prevalent, but it isn't unlistenable or anything. The production sucks, being too thin and papery, but then again, Dusk aren't exactly rock-stars here. Jahilia is an interesting album from a band that seems to have a knack for experimenting, so if this sounds like your thing, go ahead and check it out.