Fans of epic, orchestral gothic metal should rejoice while listening to the debut album from this very promising Montreal band. Sounding at times like a rawer version of old Moonspell (with more than a few hints of Sisters of Mercy) but with more operatic vocal styles, Howling Syn delivers a surprisingly mature (for such a young band) opus of nocturnal, occult darkness. The main focus is on the interplay between the operatic/folky vocals of female vocalist Sophie LeMay and the dramatic, nearly theatrical vocals of Patryk Pigeon. Patrik occasionally changes his vocal style to a more black metal one and occasionally even delves into straight goth territory with singing that reminded me of Moonspell's vocalist quite a lot (he even imitates his Portugese accent in a section or two). But all of this epic vocal performance would not be worth much if there weren't strong songs behind them and fortunately enough Holwing Syn manages to live up to the challenge. The basic line-up of drums, bass and metal guitar is tastefully complimented by lots of orchestral elements, namely synths and pianos which deliver quite a few memorable melodies and provide even a bit of a medieval element to the band's style. The band's drummer Eric Mireault is very solid and makes sure there's still plenty of metal-to-the-pedal double kicks that serve as a good counterbalance for the more goth oriented synths and vocals. Good production is a must for such a richer style of metal, yet fortunately enough "Forebearers of Dusk" delivers in this department as well. Although Australia's Virgin Black are the undisputed masters of gothic theatrical metal right now (with no one to truly challenge them) I have to admit Howling Syn come across as a very promising band indeed that could very well dethrone them one day.