01. Midnight Serpent has a lovely atmospheric feel, but the odd thing is there was no introduction. But hey jump in with the blasts, why not! Amazing drums from Frost already. A really nice opening track, with a feel of the bands Self Titled album. Plenty of discordant riffs in the bridge parts of the song (during the latter half) which I feel would be splendid live in an indoor venue.
02. Blood Cracks Open The Ground has a similar pace to “King” which is quite enjoyable, the track is quite progressive in song structure and Satyr’s guitar playing and vocals are great here. A really nice piece that shows the technical ability of Satyricon very well. Also a very unique piece of music compared to a lot of modern Black Metal.
03. To Your Brethren In The Dark slows things down, very nicely so. A real grim and cold feeling track, something the band do very well at throughout their career. I must say this song has all the atmosphere but is a bit too simplistic, I feel there could be some more progression, not a bad song by any means, but also not one of the better pieces from this band.
04. Deep Calleth Upon Deep has a killer opening riff, to use a phrase I seem to have done a few times this is a real headbanger. I look forward to seeing this sometime in their live set (I have seen them live twice to this day and both times were phenomenal). The addition of operatic vocals really work nicely in this song.
05. The Ghost Of Rome has really nice melodic lead guitar work, and a really upbeat atmosphere. I really like this song as much as it is very different from what Satyricon usually do! I particularly like the fast paced outro of this song.
06. Dissonant is an aptly titled song with some strange saxophones in the intro, kicking back into the rhythm set thus far in the album and some really harsh vocals from Satyr. Frost’s drums are interesting in this track too. I like this song best so far. It doesn’t feel like anything recycled or at all like something I have previously heard which, at the end of the day, is what I seek in a new release.
07. Black Wings And Withering Gloom is the longest song on the album at just over 7 minutes, but really great riffs, melodies and atmosphere. Absolutely glorious songwriting here. I feel like this is a song I will be playing a lot especially when hiking in nature. There is a really 90s Black Metal feel to it with the addition of modern style progressions. There is also a touch of Nargaroth to the atmosphere (like something from “Jahreitzen”). A really great addition to the album. And a join favourite for sure with “Dissonant”.
08. Burial Rite closes the album with a once again classic Satyricon feel. Nice work from the band on this, especially with the vocals. They are extremely grim, and that is most welcome!
Overall a solid release from the band, not my favourite, but by no means bad, some really great melodies, an overall good atmosphere and good production! -7/10
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