Norway is one of the cradles of Black Metal, and even two decades since the second wave of burst to life in this region, it still produces bands that are defining, and in some cases building upon, the core sound and style of the genre. IMAGES AT TWILIGHT, a Symphonic Sextet based in the nations capital of Oslo, is one such band that are pushing the genre to new heights in terms of musical virtuosity and sound. For evidence, look no further than the bands debut record, "Kings".

"Lograttin Part I", with its emphasis on potent symphonic elements, starts this album on a high note. The core of the song is a fast, vicious piece of Black Metal, interlaced with plenty of well thought out, interesting orchestral arrangements that really beef out the sound and help draw the listener in. Overall, it sounds incredibly tight and sharp, and sets a lofty bar for the rest of the record to exceed very early on.

"Ninhagaz" doesn't relent with regards to the aggression of the music, but the symphonic elements are a little more subdued, and are far more atmospheric than the previous song, in which this aspect of the sound was far more technical and hook-laden. There are certainly hooks and more intricate keyboard sections here, but they are used far more sparingly than on the opening song, something which actually aids the track in the long run. It's very hard to create a lengthy song like this and maintain the attention of listeners throughout, but luckily the music on offer here is so engaging and varied that it's hard not to be hooked on it from the first note to the last.

"Lograttin Part II", with its grandiose opening motif, is another fierce, razor sharp slab of Symphonic Black Metal. It's characterised by frenetic drumming, inspired guitar lines and equally imaginative keyboard sections that give the overall track a very epic feel.

"Created To Destroy" is a great symphonic, instrumental piece that's very evocative of composers like Wagner, who place a lot of emphasis on the grander aspects of the sounds in their music. It acts as a great way to break the album up a bit and provide a more serene affair before the next blast of Black Metal.

"Awazor" initially sounds like it's going to be a more Ambient based track than the rest of the album. However, as other musical elements come in, and the song begins to build, it's clear that this isn't the case at all. It's a dark, aggressive piece of Black Metal, with the symphonic aspects in the bands sound taking a back seat to allow the rest of the music come to the fore. This has plenty of great music on it, with the guitars and drums in particular sounding tight, technical and much darker than they have at any other point on this record.

"Kaizanbar" is a great song with a lot of nice melodic flourishes thrown in for good measure. The only real criticism I can come up with for this track is that it's just a little bit too long. Luckily, there's such a variety of different musical ideas and hooks within this track that the bulk of the song is great and this minor criticism is essentially obsolete as a result.

"Zatholach" acts as an intense, vicious offering that helps to bring the album to a climax. The musicianship on all fronts is almost over the over in its fury and extremity. It's a savage piece of music, and acts as one of the albums key, climactic moments.

"Awakening Of The Stars", the final track on this opus, has a lot of great aspects; it's an incredibly atmospheric track, with plenty of additional hooks added to the overall structure. This is another instrumental piece, and perfectly brings this excellent record to a head in a great way.

This is a very good record, overall. It has some excellent, technical and grandiose arrangements on it, all of which complement each other perfectly. It's certainly one of the better, and certainly one of the most enjoyable, Symphonic Black Metal records of the year.