Szary Wilk's second-wave-style black metal debut turns out to be surprisingly melodic despite its bleakness. The Polish trio, which only formed two years ago, put together a finely-polished offering here, almost a little too smooth; the sound quality is so nice that it takes some of the coldness out of the atmosphere.

Though the first track, Mortal, starts quietly with a slowly-picked clean guitar for the first couple of minutes, the track moves on downward in a depressive marching beat to the sound of Czuly's ragged shrieks. It gets more energetic on the next track, though just as bleak as its predecessor. The riffing is strong, but often the songs follow a similar pattern, which, like the well-made sound quality, reduces the sense of deep-forest menace that the album cover promises. The title track is the most complex song, and the one that it feels like the band put the most effort into, though Mortal is also good.