I remember when I found this, I was hunting for any and all Black metal that I could find, and I stumbled upon this at the same time as Drudkh's Swan Road.
This is possibly THE most underrated metal album I've ever heard. It's also definitely one of the best. It's such a huge shame that such a great work is overshadowed by Nokturnal Mortum's other works, such as Lunar Poetry or Goat Horns, not to say that the formentioned albums are not works of art, when they definitely are.
Atmospherically this album is stunning, it holds a certain melancholic and majestic feel to it, with the terribly gorgeous 'Autumn Opposition,' to the pure and beautiful 'Where Rivers Flow Into The Seas.' This lacks the dark feeling I feel a lot of Nokturnal Mortum's later work does, which makes it all the more beautiful.
One thing I was particularly fond of in this work is the fact that the drum lines in this album tend to follow the guitar, almost as if it was trying to pick up a counter-melody. This is only part of the time, of course, we have the usual black metal blast beats in there, too.
The vocals are like nothing I've ever heard, they're gruff and grunty, like a lot of metal, but they're also very melodic, a sort of singing growl. No other vocalist I've ever heard has managed to capture such a unique sound. It really adds to the beauty of this album.
The guitar work is full of clean sections, something that a lot of black metal bands nowadays are trying to do, with hardly any success, Nokturnal Mortum do it with such a grace and finnesse that is really missing these days, the transitional sections are just...flawless.
Mortum have also made use of orchestral instruments, mouth harps and female vocals, all used to great effect.
Standout Tracks: Autumn Opposition and Where Rivers Slow Into The Seas
All in all, a great metal album, overshadowed by inferior Nokturnal Mortum works, and worth a listen for anyone who hasn't heard it.
Sample:
youtube.com/watch?v=psjloMdNSgc&list=RDpsjloMdNSgc&start_radio=1
