OldeOlde are Stiofan deRioste (Celtachor) and Chad Davis (Hour Of 13) and their mission statement is “We are for the regression back to the days of virtuous pride and honour of the Elders.” and frankly it does exactly what that runic stamp on the tin lid says. This is old school Viking/pagan metal marching proudly along the routes cut by Bathory and Immortal and with the spirit of Darkthrone haunting them and the eerie, affecting melodic touch of Sargeist sometime woven into the riffs the only more modern concession.

Once you get over the “pinch yourself, it is 2013” moment, the sheer blazing quality and commitment of this project just knocks you flat. Without ceremony the title track drops us into a flurry of blizzards and warriors, breakneck riffing from the Bathory and Immortal school and nicely hook laden too. ‘Under The Banner Of The Wolf’ is Immortal speeding through snows with a full tilt riff and drum battery. This is so well written, so fine to listen to that cynicism is killed before it draws breath. Then the fourth track ‘Silver Hooks And Blood’ does something quite… Well, beautiful actually. Nineties keyboards, In The Woods and Burzum style, simple and so resonant you wonder why no one does this any longer. The riff when it comes fits perfectly has that Immortal balance of the fast and the slow, that perfect moments before acceleration that pushes the melody before it. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. ‘Our Once Forgotten Empyrium’ adds that Sargeist style edge which seems to bring the atmosphere of regret to the sing in such an effective and evocative fashion.

Then something weird happens on track 6, ‘A Desolate Throne In The West’. The production just drops away and that distant, foggy, muffled sound from A Blaze In The Northern Skies takes over the album. The riffs take on that more moody, doom laden quality in their pounding. A more primitive howl infects the vocals. ‘Culling Sheep’ is perhaps as much a statement of intent as a song title, but having got this far the regression to the feral is hardly something to put you off. It’s more I have the feeling that this was meant for vinyl, the flipping over of the disc to side 2 and a different facet of Olde. ‘The Death Throes Of Empire’ has that spot on perfect melody going on in the buzzing riff and the song is just as strong and as passionate. ’13  Winters’ has the heart of winter conjured in frost and fog with a riff that just digs and drives relentlessly. ‘The Heart Of Ancient Times’ closes with those brilliantly simple and effective keyboards once more, starlight flickering from midnight snow on the peaks as the wind whispers and bright frozen notes ring out Heart Of Ages style. The perfect stillness to end.

There is not one lazy, laid back, or careless moment on this album. It is total worship, yes but in that belligerent, focused intensity and unselfconscious determination to bring back the old times it not just summons the spirits of the past, it manages to infuse it with its own identity somehow. It’s quite a thing to behold. At the very least every Immortal fan should own this.

The more I listen, the more I hear and the more I hear the more I like.

(8.5/10 Gizmo)

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