From Bandcamp, “Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok” will be out on December 25. This album goes straight back to all vampiric trails, the grim landscapes of Transylvania and all nocturnal hauntings of lord Orlok. Hail the night! Hail lord Orlok!” The album has eight songs, and “...Far Away to the Land of Ghosts” is first; a short introduction of mostly harrowing sounds mixed in with some wolf howls, and dungeon synth. “Crossing the Shadowland” is the first proper song. It has a fairly traditional Black Metal sound…a wall of guitars that are strong in the treble clef, horrid, scratchy vocals, and never-ending drums. The backing keys are a nice addition, however.

The title track has that same despondent and aggressive Black Metal sound, although the background ambiance is nice…is it additional vocals, or keys? Not sure, but the blistering pace of drums and bass fuels this song. “At the Sea She Longs for His Return” has much more depressive tones, as the title suggests. You can picture her waiting for him for days, weeks, even months, and she carries a burden with her because of it. “Blood is Life” is another short song, seemingly connecting the first half of the album with the second. It has solemn, and even ominous tones, like something bad is headed your way.

“Into Pale Shadows and Ghostly Dreams” has more mellow tones, like that world that exists between dreams and waking. Some would argue that it’s a magical world in the sense that one can do things they can’t in life. “Where the Werewolf Haunts the Woods” has more hopeful tones, and you get the sense that the werewolf is really just an old wives’ tale, and no one has actually seen it. “Beyond the Eternity Gates I Wait” signifies for me the passage of an old soul, and someone who waits for which direction he might take. Somehow though, he doesn’t care, and he is fit to wait for eternity. Overall, this was a decent album, but it just didn’t do much in the way of distinction for me.