As cheery an album as you might imagine given its title (the last one was called Black Arts & Crooked Tails, so they’re nothing if not consistent), this Norwegian six-piece sound like an out-of-control train coming over a hill.
That said, they make all that unrepressed energy work in their favour. Full marks too to guitarist Fredrik Ryberg and Alan Douches who mixed and mastered respectively. It has a range, depth and presence that puts you in mind of a giant wall of water about to consume a small town. Which would probably cheer Dunderbeist right up.
Thematically, this might be all doom and gloom, but it’s crackling with fire and energy. Unremittingly heavy metal in parts (good thing!), but probably of more interest when they take the foot off the metaphorical pedal and let the songs breathe, sounding like Alice In Chains around the Dirt album: quietly apocalyptic, black and beyond saving. Especially excellent is Enter Exile and the title track, even Forcefed Boar’s Head rattles with life.
