Swedish Urskog may be a creation of one Anders Persson, but Evig Vinter sounds like the work of a full band and surprisingly very structured in terms of songwriting. Set to a mid-pace tempo, with short bursts here and there, the title track even has a solo incorporated into its fabric. Gleipner has a definitive melody laid over catchy chugging riffs and crushing cymbals.

Although advertised as a mixture of death, thrash and sludge, I hear almost none of that, instead detecting death rock akin to Babylon Whores, mid-era Sentenced or Gandalf. There is just not enough heaviness and way too much twangy catchiness in the sound of both Evig Vinter and Gleipner. Demented throaty vocals a la Ike Vil add to the impression, even when Gleipner lays over several vocal lines to create a further impression of more than one performer behind Urskog. The sound is also way too clean to qualify as sludge.

To be able to create something like Evig Vinter all by his lonesome is very commendable, whatever the genre, so the compliments are due to Mr. Persson.