Thought of as one of the forefathers of second-wave black metal, it's been a minute since they conformed to any genre, and have been digging up the graves of 80s Celtic Frost for the past few albums which have done so with varying levels of nostalgia, Nordic atmosphere, and grimness. The first track makes it evident they have taken their time to dial these sounds in while still being true to who they are as a band. The chords ring out with an eerie melancholy, though the main guitar line holds a palm-muted tension that works in equal measure.
They have made their love for classic metal proudly and loudly known in the past, so it's not a surprise that "Eon 3" is a blatant Mercyful Fate tribute. That is without any attempts to go up into falsetto vocals, though the song is more sung than snarled. "Black Dawn Affiliate" moves things in a more aggressive Judas Preist meets Venom direction. It works more of its energy rather than the first two songs which had more depth in their arrangements. It works but I prefer the first two songs. There is a cool riff in the middle of the song, but my rule here is "cool riffs alone does not a good song make".
They have worked harder on the vocals this time around. You have to admire them because this is album 20 for these guys, so you have to respect the fact they are continuing to hone their craft and not just dialing it in. The guitar playing is also much more melodic on this album as well. This fact really gets the spotlight on "And in That Moment I Knew the Answer". They go back into a heavier crunch for "the Bird People Of Nordland". This is a step back into the more Celtic Frosted direction. The riff is pretty hooky and it induces head-banging so there is not much more to ask for. They do give more and speed up to more of a thrashing tempo, though it might come close enough to black metal to satisfy those who have not been happy post-Sardonic Wrath"
"The Heavy Hand" lumbers forward on the momentum of its meaty riff. This mid-tempo bruiser is simple but powerful. The last song reminds me a little of Metallica, which is a positive for the band, as Metallica are great songwriters, and for these guys to tap into those kinds of massive riffs is a testament to their growth as songwriters. At a mammoth ten-minute sprawl, things grind down into a crusty chug that brings Cathedral to mind. The riff at the end of the song is supposed to feel like Mercyful Fate but it sounds more like Ratt to me, however, the vocals help balance this out. However, if Darkthrone really wants to follow the footsteps of Celtic Frost a hair metal album would be the next logical step. I will go ahead and round this up to a 9.5, and see how it sits on me, I think it pulls off what they have been going for the past few albums in the most focused form yet.
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