The band's third album finds their take on trve Norwegian Black Metal, gaining some ground when it comes to having a bigger more refined sound. It holds more in common with Immortal than Darkthrone. Following a more predictable trajectory, they do not waste time getting to the blast beat. They also care about songwriting so there is some substance here. Things have a cold raging speed to them. "A Thousand Graves Endured" just kind of blasts down a well-worn sonic highway. Some of the vocal layers work really well despite the vocals typically being in a midrange rasp.
"the Gospel of Hate' carries a familiar buzzing of guitars. The pulse is a little more purposeful than the previous song. Fans of the Marduk or 1349 school of Black Metal will enjoy this one. All of the songs are near the seven minute mark of over, which is better than if they were at the ten minute mark or over. Things are still songs rather than sprawling oceans of angry sounds. The vocals are really well produced which makes their scowling more interesting. "Sea of Diseased Blood" blasts forward in a thundering manner than conforms closer to the template for this style of black metal. It sounds good and is well done , though halfway into the song I can't imagine them dragging for another four minutes in this manner.
The title track has a more deliberate throb. It works for what they do, though the wheel is not really being re-invented here. "Einride" churns with more heft, the bass tone being more present to hammer things home. Often black metal works off the buzzing speed, and tends to not feel as heavier so it's good to hear a bass being used to do this. The vocals take on a more strangled anguish as the song progresses. I'll give this one an 8.5, really well done, playing into the tropes of black metal, but presenting them bleak majesty, if you want a cut and dry black metal album this is for you.
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