In the Shadow of the Horns is where UTGAROAR dwells, old-fashioned and ruthless. They take the best of 90s black metal in terms of sounds, reverbs and atmospheres, with unique and inspired guitar riffs and abysmal pounding drums. Time has passed so quickly but those echoes are still strong enough to inspire a new generation of acolytes of the Northern darkness. There is the exact same raw but evocative power and the same genuine inspiration here, but with a better sound, a more powerful mix and all those underlying nuances that are sorely missing today. "Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf's Back" will become a reference point for everyone nostalgic for the frozen sounds of 90s black metal.

 “The Pyres of Utgard” is first, and out of the gates, it sounds amateur, and the production is pretty bad. However, the slowed part with vocal hums is interesting. It brings the sound back from the 1990s to today. “Ymir Awakens” has a similar, dirty, and filthy sound from the riffs and vocals. The drums keep a steady presence and the vocals have a bit of reverb in them. In Norse mythology, Ymir gave birth to a male and female from his armpits, and his legs together begat a six-headed being. The grandsons of Búri, the gods Odin, Vili and Vé, fashioned the Earth (elsewhere personified as a goddess, Jörð) from his flesh, from his blood the ocean, from his bones the mountains, from his hair the trees, from his brains the clouds, from his skull the heavens, and from his eyebrows the middle realm in which mankind lives.

 “Trolls of Muspel Trolls of Frost” begins with some cavernous and ominous tones. The riff that follows is slow, dark and punishing, almost as if you were watching a giant creature lumber across the plains of Hell. The title track has frightening tones, like a goblin ready a bedtime story to a toddler. When it finally gets going, it blasts right through the mountain like a charge of dynamite. “Under Soil” closes the album. A subdued and steady sound is carried here, and it sounds like footsteps over barren land to me. An evil power takes over at the half way mark, dragging all souls around it into the pit of Hell.

 What began as an obvious ode to the FWOBM quickly progressed to a more modern and diverse sound for me. All of the elements a fan wants are there…harrowing music, filthy vocals, and ominous leanings. It had just enough of a modern touch to be interesting as well. Take a peek into their dark and fire filled world with “Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back.”