The conclusion of an acoustic two-album project by French ensemble Dark Sanctuary, _Exaudi Vocem Meam - Part II_ remains rooted in its ethereal, string-based music with angelic female vocals. As far as the style goes, Dark Sanctuary are highly competent, if not especially awe-inspiring or very diverse. They are good at what they do, and able to produce very listenable songs, but fail to transcend what is expected of the genre.

The music has little guitar compared to part one, but the general feel is similar. It isn't particularly dark, but remains sombre rather than upbeat. It can be a pleasant disc to spin in the right frame of mind, but like its predecessor it's also easy to discard on other occasions as not sufficiently substantial to keep one's attention firmly in its grasp. The lack of significant climaxes disappointed me, as I expected something more to develop from part one, hence the marginally lower rating. (The brief French cover of Sally's song from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was a nice touch as a kind of epilogue, but lacks the brilliance to redeem the album's conclusion.)

There is little more to say about this release. Those who own and enjoy the first part will surely want part two; others will most likely pass, though if you're only just hearing of this band and like the genre, then it is quite worth looking into both discs.