With "Whispers of Ancient Spells" Swedish-based one-man project SKUGGOR invites listeners to traverse realms of darkness, mist and myth. Guided by the hypnotic melodies that echo through the corridors of ancient forests, each track is a chapter in exploring shadows of the past. The album has five songs, and “Whispers of Ancient Spells” is first. It has that familiar “two-step” Black Metal groove where the second step is just one note below the first. The basic sound is quite harrowing, and the vocals are filthy.

“As Fog Reveals the Path to Dispair” has slower and more depressive leanings, as the title suggests. I get the feeling of a person wandering aimlessly along in life, not really knowing how he got to that point. “Silent Cry of the Forests Embrace” is the long song on the album, clocking in at just over nine minutes. There are some very ominous sounds in this song along the way, with big accents hit, and the subtle keyboard parts give it some life. The rolling drums reverberate in your soul as well.

“Shadows Echoing Through Time” has a crunchy guitar riff that is high in the treble clef. The pace is agonizingly slow at times, allowing the evil to sink in. “A Forgotten Past” closes the album, and the main riff deviates just a little from the one-two step. Overall, this was a decent album, and keeping in mind that it was composed by a singular person, it meets all the criteria for the genre…harrowing vocals, massive riffs, and galloping drums. It’s not going to blow the listener away, but it was fairly solid.