AFTER

Sorry, Ihsahn and metal fans, this album doesn't do it for me. This music seems best when executing a murder or other violent crime (except for maybe "After")--I really find no globally or spiritually redeeming outcomes of this type of music--except as an outlet and release for angst, frustration, anger and rage. personally I'd rather save my hearing and go chop some wood. The occasional soft, slow, or "pretty" melody ("Undercurrent," "After" and "Austere"--and even "On the Shore") is still not enough to make this album one that I would recommend as excellent, but the aforementioned three--along with the instrumentalism and, at times, strong compostion will allow me to rate this with three stars--"good (more like, 'okay'), but (definitely) not essential.