After two EPs ("666 Ways to Torture" and "Witches Funeral [Reborn in Fire]"), NEKROKRAFT has unleashed their concoction of melodic thrash and black metal upon the metal world. Interestingly, the band covered the mighty BATHORY on "666...", namely "Satan my Master". This album features a few nods to the grittier early days of BATHORY, as well as to the more melodic elements of the band's later discography. At first listen, I thought that NEKROKRAFT might be another fun, but ultimately forgettable old-school black metal band. I'm very glad to say that I was wrong. There was a lot more to the band than I initially thought.

Firstly, there's the songwriting. While the band has the ability to reduce the listener to a quivering pulp with relentless black metal attacks, that's not the only trick they rely on. For me, this was demonstrated in the tracks "Worhsip", "Hellfire" and "Forestlurker", which togerther form an unholy trinity of what are arguably the strongest parts of the album. "Worship" starts with a slower tempo, with riffs that weave a hypnotic spell around the listener. Angst's vocals are caustic, and Doc's sailing leads build up to a feeling of devotional fervor. The anguished screams put to rest any notions of turning back.

The vocals on "Hellfire" could put the fear of hell into even the most hardened sinner, and the dense drum fills add to a sense of inevitability. The guitar break with the "oriental"-sounding riffs is a pleasant surprise, as is the rippling percussion. "Forestlurker" opens with a chilling keyboard effect and fragile-sounding electric guitar riffs, which paint a lucid picture of wraiths of mist rolling in to cover the night-time forest - all the better to hide the fell creatures within...The bold, rumbling drums heighten the feeling of fear, as do the dramatic choirs. The transition to a faster tempo is a great touch, as it conjured images of the "forestlurker" changing to something irrevocably evil. NEKROKRAFT is onto something good here - and with several festival appearances under their belt, it's clear that others think so too. I hope that a future release will expand on the solid foundation which the band has established for their music.