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Valdur have been digging around for a while, but they are yet another band that I had heard of, but not actually heard. This is their second disc of feral Black Metal, and despite my reservations, I find this a really tight, well-composed, and enjoyable album. Valdur do all the things you expect on this disc, from blasts to tremolo riffing to screeches, but they do it all better than most bands can seem to manage. Valdur have a real feel for riffs beyond just double-picking the same three notes, and they manage to infuse a real epic feeling into their playing without belaboring anything. The speed is certainly present on this disc, but Valdur do infuse a lot of dynamic and slow down here and there, creating a more expansive and malevolent atmosphere. USBM is so often by the numbers that I am wary of it right out of the gate, but this is a band that remembers what is good about Black Metal, and does it very well indeed. Not an album to overlook.