Fourth album from this band that (it seems) started in Iceland, but nowadays people from Germany are also involved in this multi-cutural project. One of the things that caught my attention is that the album starts without intro into a fast paced, in-your-face attack of some of the best Black Metal one can listen today. There is a vibe of evil Death Metal in the music as well, but also one can sense the epic essence in their music, because of their lyrical themes, written in their native language, and basically telling histories about old Norse history. Some clean chanted vocals remind me of BATOUSHKA and some of epic BATHORY, for the overall atmosphere. Also I can sense touches of ENSLAVED, old MAYHEM and bits of DISSECTION. The production is simply perfect, organic and strong with every element that can be heard, and with very powerful guitars. At times they do sound like those bands that are called orthodox Black Metal, like OFERMOD or DEATHSPELL OMEGA, but with a very distinctive sound of their own, that due to the language at times gives some essence to old MASTERS HAMMER. The way they are able to mix those aggressive parts with a much more epic / ethereal atmosphere, with chants and clean vocals, are only mastered through many years of creation and execution, something this band clearly masters. The drumming is also something to be noticed, a fantastic execution that enhances the music a lot. Something also to notice is the artwork for this band as their last releases follow a similar structure, like a depiction of old ancient images, that are ready to open a portal to the land of ancient demons. The band is able to do those melodic riffs in such a haunting way, that some of those will stick in your head like a silver bullet to the skull. This is the kind of album that will offer many new things everytime you listen to it. The season of life is over. A great, epic and massive release that will surely make you to dig into their previous releases. www.facebook.com/arstidirlifsins, www.van-records.de