This is not a new album, but old and unreleased material.
Track 1 is a different version taken from "Promo".
Track 2 is a Burzum cover song.
Tracks 3 & 4 are taken from remastered "Herbstleyd"Demo'98 (printed Demo'93).
Tracks 5 & 6 are unreleased old studio tracks, dedicated to all true Nargaroth fans.
I'm not a huge fan of compilations. Usually, they're released by the record labels as a "cash grab" in order to make money for songs that have already been released on other recordings. Nargaroth's "Amarok" is a compilation released by No Colours records in 2000, is made up of songs from the band's previous releases. These songs, however, differ quite a bit from the original versions, and there are two brand new tracks as well. This is an example of a compilation that is actually worth the money.
"Herbstleyd" is the first song on the disc. Unlike the version on the previous album of the same name, this song does not contain the massively long 8 minute folk introduction. This song begins right away with a somber melody and the amazing synth flute in the background. I prefer the version on the full-length, as this one loses some of its original atmosphere with the omission of that intro. Still, this is probably the best song on the album. A topic that brings great controversy to the Nargaroth name is the cover of "Black Spell of Destruction" originally by Burzum. The cover follows in the exact same vein musically, but the guitar tone is very off-putting for me. It sounds lower and much deeper, which doesn't fit the atmosphere of the original. In fact, most of the guitars on this album sound fairly low and, of course, muddy. But the low tone doesn't really sound fitting most of the time, and is one of the album's pitfalls. This might be attributed to the increase of bass in the mix, which isn't too common in black metal.
Kanwulf's vocals are standard Nargaroth. They sound absolutely menacing and hateful, and are a trademark in his music. From his shrieks in "Herbstleyd" to the wolfish howling in "Black Spell of Destruction", there is a bit of variation to be heard. The lyrics are for the most part English, with the songs "Herbstleyd" and "Amarok - Zorn Des Lammes" being the two German songs on the album. For the most part, Kanwulf is incomprehensible. However, notably on the song "Shall We Begin", we hear a humorous "FUCK!" which is the final word in the song.
Overall, this is a very cool little compilation to own, and actually works more like a proper full-length, as all the songs differ greatly from the originals. Also, the final two songs "Amarok - Zorn Des Lammes (Part ll)" and " As The Stars Took Me With 'em", were previously unreleased. This could in a way be considered Nargaroth's second full-length. It is an hour and 12 minutes in length, and a nice gem to add to anyone's collection.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=BqL6CAGsLqU
