This is the third album to be reissued from Khold, having originally come out in 2004. Having only discovered them last year when I ended up with the debut two album reissues to review, I found myself surprisingly drawn in by their sound and thus was quick to grab this one. So there aren’t many surprises in store with this offering…if you are familiar with the band then you’ll know what to expect and I personally was not disappointed. ‘Åtselgraver’ brings us in with a predatory opening bass melody and hulking guitar riff, before really letting rip and speeding forth with vehemence. On this album things flit between the two paces; one thing Khold do very well is to put forth that mid-paced menace through melodies that prowl with sinister intent, while successfully blending that with more thrashing moments.
‘Dod’ has a dark and cold ambience and the riffs play out with a real swagger. Overall the music has a nice rich texture to it, with a thick bass line and lots of layers of sound. All is topped off with Gard’s cold, vicious vocal assault. I love the stop-start melody of ‘Hevnerske’, which really makes this a stand-out memorable track. This feels most desolate and barren, with an atmosphere that is cloying and unwelcoming, filled with threat. There are some rather strong, potent melodies to get stuck into here, and tracks like ‘Mørke Gravers Kammer’ are filled with intrigue and intensity.
‘Opera Seria’ is another stand-out track for me, I really like the snaking repetition as it slithers along, laying low but threatening to inject its venom. At times the dark, mid paced melodies draw you in with a rather hypnotic quality, putting one in to a dark trance. There are still some icy black metal riffs that scythe away with rattling ferocity. Okay so this is not breaking new boundaries in black metal, but there are a couple of great tracks and all in all it’s an enjoyable listen and has the conviction and atmosphere to make me sit up and take notice.
(7.5/10 Luci Herbert)
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