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I was a fan of Battle Dagorath's 2013 opus Cursed Storm of Ages, but then they put out another one that I missed, so I was pleased to get this one. This is more of the epic, sprawling Black Metal that is pretty much what this band is about – which I expected. What I didn't expect is how good this is, and what a leap over their old works it represents. First of all, this is ruthlessly heavy, with a big sound and an intense, deep recording job. This is a big, long album with a lot of space, and it doesn't rush around, but takes time to build its atmosphere to good effect. By the time you get to the 20-minute mid-album monster "Cast Their Ashes to the North Wind", you are enveloped in a world of frozen death and brooding antiquity, and you don't want it to end. Powerful, affecting stuff.