Showcasing classic-yet-modernized tunes injected with extreme doses of energy and edge, Oculus Infernum is the bombastic debut recording of the latest project headed by Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister fame). Elements of classical music, European power metal, and progressive metal are intricately interwoven throughout the duration of the album. Van Helsing's Curse is essentially a rock orchestra, much in the vein of the immensely popular Trans-Siberian Orchestra, consisting of a rock band supported by a five-piece "orchestra" (led by violinist extraordinaire Mark Wood) and a six-member choir. The music selection is wide and varied: original compositions are meticulously intertwined with excerpts from composers ranging from Black Sabbath to Mike Oldfield to Niccolo Paganini. While purist classical musicians and admirers may shudder at the idea, many rock musicians and fans alike will begin drooling uncontrollably upon the initial and each subsequent listen.

Oculus Infernum is a concept album that explores the classic theme of the ongoing battle between "good vs. evil." Written and narrated by Dee Snider, the basic plot behind the album is about an evil Entity who must gather the souls of people to take with him to Hell. After having been imprisoned for several centuries the Entity is let loose, free to roam the earth, savagely killing adults before the eyes of their children. However, none of the children are ever murdered by the savage beast. One such unfortunate child desires to seek out this evil being and seek revenge. As a result, ten-year-old Cody turns toward television and watches countless horror movies, hoping to find some answers or at least some sort of a clue. He learns of an old man from his town, who is a direct descendant of the famous Van Helsing figure. After introducing themselves, Cody and Van Helsing decide to attempt to fight the Entity. Together, the duo leaves town and heads to the nearby wooded foothills. Suddenly, a solid black wall emerges, fully blocking the path. The boy and Van Helsing discover upon closer inspection that the wall is covered with the corpses of the Entity's numerous victims; sitting atop the wall is the intimidating Entity itself. Cody is thenovercome by an overwhelming feeling and realizes that the Entity cannot harm him, so he in response asks the creature, "Can I touch you?" By now the boy is emitting an angel-like heavenly glow, as he reaches to touch the monster. Cody and Van Helsing each grab one of the Entity's wrists; the beast writhes in pain. In its agony, the monster literally begins to disintegrate in the hands of its oppressors. Entranced, the boy and Van Helsing stare at each other immediately afterwards. Cody then breaks the silence. Upon asking why the Entity could not harm him, Van Helsing replies, "Innocence. ... that is the one thing that The Entity can never have."

The plot of the album is told entirely through the narration provided by Dee Snider between tracks, as Oculus Infernum is primarily an instrumental recording. The music and arrangements speak for themselves, with an added element of tension due in part to chants sang exclusively in Latin by the six-member vocal choir.

The album commences with "Patience", a brief spoken narrative which then leads seamlessly into "Tubular Hell". As suggested by the title, the track is largely based upon the introduction to Mike Oldfield's epic "Tubular Bells", which has been used in countless films, perhaps most notably the 1973 classic The Exorcist. Indicative of the style of the remainder of Oculus Infernum, the new arrangement of "Tubular Bells" also features a brief excerpt of Edvard Grieg's classical masterpiece "In the Hall of the Mountain King", cleverly interwoven with original music.

The haunting "All Fall Down" is an entirely original composition, complete with frightened voices of newly orphaned children calling for their parents. One of the major highlights of Oculus Infernum, however, is "Let Me Prey". The track opens with an excerpt of Jerry Goldsmith's "Ave Satani", then morphs into an original piece called "Run", a midtempo guitar- and violin-laden composition on which violionist Mark Wood and guitarist Jake Richards duel, showcasing their talents as musicians. Afterwards, Van Helsing's Curse effortlessly performs a unique, almost eerie rendition of "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana", thus bringing "Let Me Prey" to a close.

Another major highlight from Oculus Infernum lies within the masterpiece "The Child". Combining excerpts from Modest Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain" with Tomaso Albinoni's "Albinoni's Adagios" and injecting the perfect dose of original material, "The Child" provides five minutes of pure classical-metal pleasure. The best medleys feature seamless, barely noticeable transitions from one piece into another, which is exactly what Van Helsing's Curse so perfectly executes with "The Child".

As with its predecessors "Let Me Prey" and "The Child", "The Tortured Soul" is yet another tasteful medley of well-known classical pieces (Frederic Chopin's "Funeral March" and Ludwig Van Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata"), but performed with a modern rock edge and bottom-end crunch. The arrangement for "The Tortured Soul", again like its predecessors, features a smooth transition between the classical excerpts and the original material. The unique interpretation of "Moonlight Sonata" makes for an enjoyable listening experience, again touched by the distinguished style of violinist Mark Wood. The next two tracks from the album - "Revenge" and "War" - continue the pace and style as set forth by the previous songs on the disc: "Revenge" includes excerpts from Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and "Firebird Suite" and Niccolo Paganini's "24th Caprice", while "War" is a modern reinterpretation of Gustav Holst's "Mars, The Bringer Of War".

"Let The Pain Begin" is the final musical piece featured on Oculus Infernum. An interesting cover version of the 1969 epic "Black Sabbath" originally by the band of the same name, "Let The Pain Begin" is an appropriate musical conclusion for the album. For consistency, the album concludes in the same fashion as it commences - with another spoken narrative provided by Dee Snider, properly concluding the story behind Oculus Infernum.

In conclusion, Oculus Infernum is a strong collection of music, featuring flawless performances from a talented cast of musicians. The end result is a unique blend of classical music perfectly melded together with influences borrowed from the world of hard rock and metal. Many elements from each genre of music are prevalent throughout the album, and are certain to please fans of both classical and rock music. Furthermore, Oculus Infernum proves that two genres of music which were previously thought to be on opposite ends of the wide spectrum of music can coexist, as more and more artists are now discovering. Two thumbs up!

4.83 out of 5