By the god's great blessing, I am back! It's been too far too long since I have been in such good company as the Templars. My first review back is of the newest release from the brutal CRYPTIC FOREST. These heralds of Melodic Black Metal from the blackest forests of "Ystyr" have traveled far and wide to bring this living sacrifice of metal muse to the gods themselves. And the Metal gods are pleased.

"Heralding Bleakness" evokes a sense of an impending journey as though you have just stepped into the frozen badlands, and shit just got real. "Winterstorms" and "Throne of Fire" are incredibly brutal tracks fueled by killer fucking double bass and rhythm guitar. Sick lead work floats over the top of each chord adding even more depth. "Ystyr" is a great track thick with gritty rhythms and contrasting clean leads. If you're this far into the album and have not started heading banging, even if only a little, there might be an issue, and it isn't with the album.

"Call to War" is another track with some seriously epic rhythm work, brooding with a few breaks, but still melodic as fuck. And the vocals? LukHass's growls are menacing enough to send even the most seasoned berserker running back to his long boat. The wicked vocals really get their growls on in "Crown of Ice" and "Smoldering". While I love the whole album, "King of Cryptic Forest" is far and wide my favorite. Intricate intro that bleeds into windmill inducing licks and viscous vocals that kind the energy flowing through the album like some kind of vibrantly evil fog. Smoldering is the next leg of this blackened journey. Its eerie keys and lengthy intro create an atmosphere ripe with anticipation of what awaits just on the other side of bridge. "Creatures of the Dark" is the finale song in the bitter, blood spattered journey whose sole purpose is to leave you wanting more CRYPTIC FOREST.

As a side note I'd like to mention just how fucking brilliant the bass work is throughout the whole album. Solid and right in the thick of double bass hell, it helps maintain the wicked rhythm foundation from which the guitars, keys, and vocals build upon. Excellent mix, well recorded, and heavy as hell. For a rating a solid 8 out of 10. Thank you CRYPTIC FOREST, this was a great album to review. Thank you for reading my humble work. Stay well and live free friends! Cheers!