When this project first came out there was emphasis in what I read about them placed upon their death rock and goth influence. That is largely shed for a bigger more metallic sound as they have come to rage into the black metal core of their sound. The production value of their earlier work was not as impressive leading me to believe this album might be what brings the act into the larger audience of black metal. The challenge for this album before if build too much momentum with it's Immortal like gallop is how dynamic is it going to be? The first two songs have a very similar which will grow old for me by the next song if we stay on this path.
Things are marginally different as the riff for "Seal of the Dominator" shifts from the triumphant gallop to something more deliberate and slightly Mercyful Fate like in the riffing , there is also a shift into darker atmosphere I appreciate. The low snarl of the vocals is not the one element that need more dynamics. The two songs however that follow find the sound locking back into a more homogenized black metal sound, which might appeal to people who ask less and just want the full speed ahead attack, as it just became a blur of back ground noise of me, not demanding my attention.
There is more melodic and atmospherically nuanced sounds worked into the last song. This is enough to keep the buzzing blur of guitars from turning into sonic mush, even if those moments are short lived. The vocals prove to be a one trick pony and make me glad this album is only six songs as it would become tedious otherwise unless the music really compensated for this. Up to this point it has not been a deal breaker and the riffs and energy have generally kept me engaged, so I will give this an 8. The album drops March 26th.
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