The elder statesmen of Pagan Black Metal are back with their 17th album. The first song is more black metal than I was expecting, even though it still ebbs back into the more progressive grooves. Sami musician Johan Sara jr contributes to this song, which is not going to be that big of a deal to anyone outside of Norway. They do not let up that much with the more deliberate gallop of "Solar Will'" which starts off with their more early 2000s black metal sound that infuses some of the more progressive elements, like the vocals at times, and swirling ambiance that touches the building metal storm here. Textures like guitar melodies keep them from getting too close to the status quo.
They keep their Pink Floyd side under wraps until the more atmospheric and melodic "Mountain" the song does build into a cool, heavier groove that feels more like Opeth. Kevin Kicking Woman, an elder of the Blackfeet nation, lends his voice to give these guys a more legit native sound than Blackbraid has ever dreamt of. They jam over this in a cool, grooving manner that is still dark and moody. "Parting" finds the guitar leading the way with some atmospheric depth. Not their black metal side but it sounds good, so it is hard to complain, and I don't think any fans expect them to ever be solely black metal again. The sung vocals set the stage in the verse. The growled vocals do chime in.A heroic guitar solo ties the two worlds together.
A more aggressive flood of double-bass drumming brings the thunder to "Tales of Trees". It's closer to death metal, with the more rock n roll intention of its riffs. The guitar solo is more of a melodic passage. The last song opens with an even brighter, more sonic riff that sung vocals are cast against. The vocals hit more like 90s melodic death metal. This song works more off the tropes they have developed in the second half of their career. It works for what it is, and sounds great, but is not really hooking me in like the rest of the album; maybe it needs to grow on me. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me after additional listens. This one drops October 30th on Nuclear Blast.
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