It’s been a good damn while since I last laid ears upon GRIEF OF EMERALD, it must have been their first or second album, I’m not sure how far I continued with the Swedes back then, as melodic Black / Death Metal with keyboards didn’t really latch on to me, when I was young, restless and wild. Nowadays restless is the only part left behind, and as the spins of this album have grown, the music has grown along. Not much has changed musically, in the terms my memory serves me well, that is. Melodic and fast blackened Death Metal with a bunch of good riffs, some catchy and blazing melodic leads, furious drumming and vocals, together with a thick layer of keyboard or synthesized effects. Musician wise the effort is flawless and over the top, as well as some solid songwriting with a lot of catchy and blazing moments, all wrapped in a thick and sinister atmosphere due to great guitars and well placed pieces of synth, as well as the grim and low vocal, that could have been taken out of a late-nineties harsh Black Metal album. As the last review I wrote, this album puts me right back to the nineties as well, the overall feel and delivery of the music has a thick scent of that period. I can’t help to think that label boss Gelok is trapped in that period of time, not that there’s anything wrong with that, as I seem to be right there with him, as I has enjoyed this album quite a lot, as well as the coming release of DEATH TYRANT. All hail the nineties and death to too much evolution! Jump into the fire: www.griefofemerald.se, www.non-serviam-records.com