Forlorn Spirit returns with "1000 Dreams of War." Joined here by session drummer Longinus, OLDOWAN GASH proceed to build upon the noble spirit of its full-length predecessor, harnessing that characteristic desperation into something statelier and stealthier. Coldest fury runs rampant across "1000 Dreams of War," understandably, given the album's title and attendant themes - but Forlorn Spirit's riffing is ramped up to an enviable degree, remaining black metal at its core but now emitting a wider wealth of sensations and textures. To be sure, the melancholy-cum-triumph that so earmarked Hubris Unchained anchors this sophomore album, but more often than not, that foundation is somewhat reversed: triumphant at the beginning of the march/surge, only to give away to melancholy or at least grim resignation.

The album has five songs, and "Catechism of Shame pt 1" is first. The first thing that hits me, besides the aggression, is the terrible production. Some fans not only like it, but come to expect it. For me however, the overly treble sound destroys any meat that the bottom end can produce. It doesn't change much through the entire song, and the constant beating of the drums gets somewhat annoying to me. The title track begins slower, but segues back to another heavy and aggressive sound. For me, this about as basic as Black Metal gets. There isn't much in the way of diversity, or variation so far. "Brides of Orlok" also begins with a slower and perhaps more powerful sound, but again, besides the filth and stench, the album hasn't done much to separate itself from thousands of other bands in the genre.

"Catechism of Shame pt II (Words of Magic)" has deeply harrowing tones and the vocals seem to spring to life. Maybe this is a bit better than the first three songs, but it still registers as basic for me. "Fighting Forever" is the final song, and it's a massive 14 minutes in length. That's a lot of time for the band to potentially experiment a little, but they don't take the bait. Instead, they ride out riffs that don't very much into the sunset. Sure, it's dreadful, black as the night, and frightening, but it just doesn't excite me.  Purists may find this album to their liking, but for me, it was just another monotonous FWOBM release that held steady within the early confines of the genre.