The title track of Naglfar’s sixth abomination is almost beautiful. The vocals are so enmeshed within the mix, you’d think you were listening to the operatic stylings of Therion. Can Swedish Black Metal contain beauty? There’s a certain opulence, a grandeur at work here. And the fact that track #2, “Pale Horse,” starts a split-second early—while “Teras” is still in its fade—is a quick jolt to the system that scares one back into the proper death blackness. For make no mistake about it, Naglfar hardly shies away from the tech-speed of pure Death in its Black horrorscapes. And that fact alone, in my book, puts ‘em above such Blackies as Marduk and Dark Funeral.
They’re down to a trio now: vocalist Kris Olivius, guitarist Andreas Nilsson and multi-instrumentalist Marcus E. Norman (guitar/bass/keyboards). Drums were manned by Dirk Verbeuren at Die Crawling Studio. Highlights include the ending 8:11 kiss-off (“The Dying Flame Of Existence”) and the zombie call “Bring Out Your Dead.”
It’s been five years since their last album Harvest. They’ve always been adventurous, having dabbled in death and thrash, and it’s that exact proclivity for eclecticism that informs Teras and has obviously awakened their inner creative juices. Just don’t bring ‘em home to meet your parents.
Label: Century Media — CD format and/or MP3 download can be ordered by clicking here.
