Review by Adam M on May 27, 2026.

This is a very fast recording by the band with a heavy amount of guitar riffage and very grim vocals from Abbath.  The guitar work is similar to what is to be found on other albums like Sons of Northern Darkness and At the Heart of Winter.  There is a natural tendency to be as quick and deadly as possible and this shows greatly in the songs of the band.

The song-writing is pretty good with a great deal of thickness to be found in the guitars and a very evil type of tone to the songs.  The guitars cascade at a nice pace and craft a very interesting type of listen.  There is nothing to be found that is entirely remarkable, but this is still well=performed stuff for the black metal genre.  The vocals add a grim aspect to the music.

In terms of flaws, this is very similar to Sons of Northern Darkness where the band seems to have peaked and found their footing the most.  There isn’t really enough of a defining trait to make this necessary to listen to if you have heard that album and At the Heart of Winter.  This is still more solid music from the band.

All in all, I had fun with this album and it is a largely successful black metal work.  It seems to have the right amount of grimness to make an impact.  However, it is sandwiched between two excellent albums and loses some of its impact because of this. 

Rating: 7.1 out of 10