THE OLDEN DOMAIN

With their sophomore effort,we have clean vocals, too and they sound really good. Black metal shrieking and drumming blasts are still employed amptly. In comparison to their first album, you can say that the lads grew in terms of compositions and more developed sound supressing a certain naiveness with their debut album.

"The winterway" is a nod to winter, a great epic track with instrumental sections, cold wild spirit and interesting mellow acoustic-guitar/piano contributed arrangements.

"Om hundrede of pagan tongue" is a soft piece with great keyboards proving how gifted and unconventional from black metal the songwriters were. It is a slow reflective piece of music and ends up quicker than I would like.

When listening to "A tale of the pagan tongue", you have a more Viking feeling and I can also depict a melting ice in the northern nature. Listening to great drumming with tasty changes by Grim.

"To mount and rove" features arguably the most furious moments on the album, blast after a blast and even death- metal patterns. "Grimland domain" has the most extensive keyboard in the foreground, there is no solo but rather keyboard layers in the foreground. Also, until now a rare harmony vocals by the main singer and I suppose the keyboard player can be heard.

"Ascensions to our fathers" is an instrumental piece closer to Pink Floyd than black metal. Love the guitar subtle melody. One might also mislead this song to be a non-technical Opeth piece. It would have been a nice album closer.