Return after many years for Naglfar, who have been on the scene since 1992. They may have had a relatively stable record presence in the beginning, but it has been eight years since their last album “Téras”. Without breaking up all these years, they were apparently preparing their seventh full-length album.
It didn’t take long for “Cerecloth” to convince me of its quality. Naglfar know very well the sport of melodic black metal, as they are one of the most classic bands of this sound, along with their compatriots Dissection.
In the forty-three minutes that the nine tracks last, we will listen to high-quality black metal filled with exceptional tremolo-picking riffs, vitriolic vocals and a riveting atmosphere. Whether we are talking about the most aggressive points, or the most melodic ones, the result is awesome. Melody as it is supposed to be, as there are many who use it in a completely wrong way in the field of extreme metal.
In the album we will hear three different approaches to the tracks. On the one hand, those that move exclusively at high speeds such as “Cerecloth”, “The Dagger In Creation” and “A Sanguine Tide Unleashed”. On the other hand, those that are purely mid-tempo with an exceptional atmosphere and melody such as “Like Poison For The Soul”, “Horns”, “Last Breath Of Yggdrasil” and “Necronaut”. Of course, there are also those that combine these two approaches, such as “Vortex Of Negativity” and “Cry Of The Sefarim” with alternating speeds, that are perhaps the most characteristic of this release.
In conclusion, a great return from the Swedes. Although absent for years, this doesn’t seem to have affected them in the slightest. “Cerecloth” is like a punch in the face that shows what lacks from so many posers who try to sell their darkness and evilness to fool clueless youngsters: ability to write good music. I hope that we won’t wait so long until the next one.
