Review by Felix on December 22, 2020.

Did the world really need the comeback of Armagedda? From my point of view, they rather enriched the scene in terms of quantity than in terms of quality during their first active period. Now they have returned and their conglomerate of (old) Satyricon, Darkthrone and comparable bands still does not boast with individuality. Nonetheless, their fourth full-length presents a fine portion of solid black metal. The slow-to-mid-paced songs put the focus on atmosphere and they are pretty successful in doing so. I miss a higher degree of fury, grimness and bitterness, but I also respect the mid-harsh yet effective lines of 'Likvaka', in particular the pretty melodic harmonies that set in after 2:20 minutes. They have a slightly morbid and archaic touch and that's not only worth listening, but it also fits the artwork very well.

However, some run-of-the-mill black metal parts have also crept in. Already the first song after the useless intro is not free from these solid yet unspectacular passages – and this remains no isolated case. Armagedda commutes between ordinariness and exciting fragments. Maybe they should have shortened one or two songs. But instead of erasing the rather trite sequences, the experienced duo delivers six songs and an intro within 49 minutes. Honestly speaking, that’s somewhat challenging for both artists and followers. No doubt, the Swedes have many ideas that pin the listener’s ear to the speakers, but it seems to me they could have created even bigger waves. There is a black core in the depth of their compositions that should have been more revealed. It takes some time until the band really opens the gates to hell. However, details like the (once again) morbid touch of the stoic guitars at the beginning of the closer are fascinating. And by the way, the epic monument on the final position holds more thrilling sequences while varying both intensity and tempo cleverly. This track especially gives me the feeling that there is probably more talent than the album brings to day.

Armagedda have returned with an homogeneous album that features sinister guitar lines, deep, demonic vocals with some reverb on it and a proper dose of wicked blackness. In its best moments the album reveals a kind of magic, but, well, only in its best moments. The output is like a stray cat that has come to you – you would not have missed it, but now that it is here, you want to keep it. And maybe Svindeldjup Ättestup is just the first step into a golden second era of the band.

Rating: 7 out of 10