Demonaz, who once quit the band to return in 2015, is not the sole member of the band he quit. He enlisted the drummer from Ghaal's Wyrd and Ice Dale from Enslaved to help out on bass. At least he is keeping it Norwegian. The opening track blasts ahead at the kind of speed that gave him tendonitis in the first place, so he is setting himself up to quit the band he is the sole member of. What is missing is the epic thrash like riffing that made Immortal once great. He slows down a little on the second song to hint at this, but it is not as inspired. "Wargod" is the first song that clicks with me in a way that makes me take notice and invest myself in it's more deliberate riffing.
The vocals lack the personality of Abbath. That is Abbath who has a distinct black metal croak. He is not King Diamond, he just croaks with an interesting drone to narrate lyrics that Demonaz wrote. The gallop to "No Sun" shows that he is capable of writing some solid songs when he sets his dark heart to it. His vocals however are a raspy bleat, that is not as stark as Abbath's delivery and sound like he might lose his voice at any moment. He has the classic gallop down, which works for me, despite not really doing anything that his band's namesakes have not already done better. The punches in "Return to Cold" work well.
"Nordlandihr" just coasts it's chug down similar snowy peaks that have already been scaled not only in the past but on this album as well. The eponymous song is less like a personal anthem and gallops paths more ventured upon than not. Not the last song he declares that his throat is being lashed by the dark and the cold. I guess this explains the weak vocals, he should have packed a scarf for the occasion. I will give this album an 8.5, it does remember what works for the band and makes them great, but takes little risk outside of that formula which is not what black metal is about.
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