Unfortunately, much weaker than its predecessor

I can not share the general enthusiasm over "Sideshow Symphonies" unfortunately. The predecessor "The Sham Mirrors" is an absolutely brilliant album and continues to be very high up in my list of favorites, but the successor can not keep up. Here Arcturus have hardly changed their musical formula. Again they played spacey progressive Black Metal (if you want to call it because the style). Lots of opulent keyboards, vibes oblique, occasional, well-placed black metallic Rasereiausbrüche and a strange sci-fi atmosphere.
So what has now but worsened compared to its predecessor? Once there's the sound. It may sound too mushy and organic for Arcturus. In other bands, an organic sound is a big plus, but the sterile, cold sound of "The Sham Mirrors" fits here better. Then missing the really big songs. Sure, great and interesting compositions you get here, but a hammer as "Kinetic" simply lack. The biggest complaint I have is for me but the singer change. Trickster G. Ulver did an outstanding job, his successor ICS Vortex is on whole album distance just annoying. As a backing vocalist with Dimmu Borgir his voice was perfectly okay, because she used only occasionally. Sing this man but a whole song, it sounds too "knödelig", also my almost constantly doubled vote goes on the cookie. This makes ICS Vortex in the approach really good songs broken.
Thus comes "Sideshow Symphonies" approach not to "La Masquerade Infernale" and certainly not "The Sham Mirrors".
A real shame.