How delightful to see an eighth album from this Norwegian project, that has more than surpassed their status as something of a strange meme in the black metal world thanks to their frontman's distinctly odd take on corpsepaint and groove-obsessed sound. And although perhaps fated never to gain the same recognition as those of their countrymen who are more worshipped by the faithful, Khold remain a compellingly unique group that create dark, brooding art as much for themselves as anyone else. Du dømmes til død ("you are sentenced to death") is particularly brooding, at points straying perhaps the farthest yet from the band's black metal foundations but never failing to circle back to that particular shade of obsidian.

Opener Myrdynk is downright droning, driven by hefty slabs of riffing that groove invitingly before pushing harder, growing almost into classic doom were it not for the snarled vocals. The pressure on the listener increases immediately with the more uptempo Vanviddfaren, downright catchy with a heavy metal swagger, and then again with Heks (du dømmes til død), with a more despairing vocal performance from frontman and cover model Gard. Said album artwork may suggest an experience of being overwhelmed, confrontational aggression from a night terror, and that's true up to a point, the music being so enjoyable in its own right that Gard's snarls merely invite the listener in even more.

Thanks to an especially great production courtesy of King Diamond's Andy Larocque the band sound fantastic, each bass pop clear and resonant, and only enhancing the impact of each riff and drum hit. And the songwriting is more than solid, the likes of Skoggangsmann having an infectious Sodom-like intensity to its chorus, and Misgrep's melancholic forays bearing enormously atmospheric fruit. Khold seem to have inherited something of the spirit of pre-Too Old Too Cold Darkthrone and run with it, as the chilling Trolldomsdømt shows with its crushing blasts.

Perhaps, as ever, we could have a little more experimenting with the formula, yet not a single one of the songs present are lesser or skippable. By the time the crushing Galgeberg og Retterbakke hits, battering along with even more energy and intensity, and the closing Dølgsmål is experienced, marrying atmosphere and catchiness perfectly, it's easy to be convinced that Khold have surpassed themselves. Perhaps those who share a love for the group will agree that this is not quite up to their best work, but it's certainly a more than worthy addition to their discography that will put a frosty smile on the face of any devotee.