A well-known expression says not to judge a book by its cover. The same goes for music albums, as it is common for Abbath to dress his works as with a weirder way every time. The third solo release of the great Norwegian musician comes three years after “Outstrider”, maintaining the same line-up.
As for the music now, we will not hear anything different from what we are used to. And I do not say that in the negative sense, since I do not think any of his followers will be disappointed. The black metal of Immortal meets speed metal and sometimes Motörhead, as Abbath is known to worship them since he has the cover band Bömbers since 1996!
And when I say Motörhead, I mean mainly some rhythms as well as different approaches to the vocals. A great example is “Myrmidon”, in which Abbath perfectly imitates the voice of the titan Lemmy. The epic moments of the album bring to mind Bathory while several solos have a classic heavy metal shade. A well-known mix of influences I would say, judging by the Norwegian’s solo works.
Of course, the covers are not missing from the album. In its regular version there is “Trapped Under Ice” by Metallica, which they made unrecognizable. Whether this is in the good or bad sense will be judged by each listener. The limited version could not have anything different that Motörhead and specifically the song “Make My Day”.
“Dread Reaver” is a very good album, which successfully combines the different and always present influences of Abbath. The Norwegian does what he feels and the result justifies him. In other words, do not wait to hear something that refers directly to Immortal but the new path that the musician is following as a solo artist.
