You can tell it is Borknagar, but it is almost as if every single riff on the album intentionally goes the wrong way and ends up sounding like someone is making a riff up on the spot whilst shrugging and uttering “I dunno…”.

It is a well played album, but you could play Humpty Dumpty perfectly and it’d still be an awful song.

Vintersorg has always sounded like he is trying to sing with his mouth full (this suits some songs I guess…) but on this album his doubled up clean vocals like two mad circus ringmasters belting out gypsy carnival classics from the 60’s.

Then again, it was ridiculous of me to expect that any once-legendary black metal band would be any good nowadays.

Erik: What vocalist do you think could’ve done a better job? Succeeding Garm and Simen must be terrifying.