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I missed this one when it came out, but I enjoyed this band's last one, Primaeval Pantheons, so much that I tracked this one down. I am glad to find that I actually like it even better, as it is just as intricate and layered, but also wields more atmosphere than Pantheons did.

This is almost prototypical Pagan Black Metal, with a mix of influences from Sear Bliss, Moonsorrow, Emperor, and Bathory. The riffs are dense and layered, with a lot of shade and dynamic, and an absolutely amazing production job that polishes every piece to a steely sheen without losing focus. The songs are not just fast, but pack in a lot of atmosphere and more slow-paced melody in among the shredding guitar work. The performances are stellar, and the band hits that high point of just becoming much more than the sum of their parts. The songwriting is complex without losing aggression, and segues from high speed picking to atmospheric acoustics and then into slow pounding crunch without a hitch. Powerful, arresting, and evocative. A stellar album.