Last year, the “Blessings Of Winter” EP from NORRSKÖLD was a highlight for any lover of melodic Death Metal of the Gothenburg school. The music Henrik Bodin-Sköld created with his solo project was not a re-invention of the wheel, but a fine EP that aimed for the abandoned throne of those who left. Not even a year later, NORRSKÖLD are back again with a full length album. “Reflections Of The Night Sky” was recorded with nearly the same members as the EP, yet Mathias Rexius took over bass duties as well and Adam Rexius was responsible for the again very fitting vocals this time. But the musical direction of NORRSKÖLD hasn’t really changed. Still the melodies are the heart of the songs, the base the music is built upon. Still the majority of the music is Metal. But there’s a change that characterizes the direction of “Reflections Of The Night Sky”. The acoustic guitar matters much more than it did on “Blessings Of Winter” as the leading part of short instrumental interludes. Be it the introducing ‘Into Death’ with its medieval atmosphere, ‘Arise In Ashes’ or ‘Beyond These Woods’, which are more inspired by traditional folk music – all of them are pacifiers in between songs that fit the mid 1990s. From ‘Upon These Fields’ to ‘Dead End To Redeem Us’ , we have a handful of tunes that might have saved IN FLAMES from being the boring modern wannabes they are now. The instrumental ‘Remnants Of Reality’ is a little flaw to me, since some vocals would have fitted this one very well. But after the last instrumental interlude ‘Rains Of Reminiscence’, the album finds a very worthy and satisfying conclusion, ‘A Cold And Silent End’. To me this more solemn Death Metal tune is the highlight of “Reflections Of The Night Sky”, since the slowed down speed here gives the song its own special momentum. So, for all lovers of those gone Gothenburg heroes, NORRSKÖLD have done nearly everything the right way. Lend them an ear at: www.facebook.com/norrskold or www.rexiusrecords.com