Naglfar - Teras

For those of you, like me, who are unfamiliar with Naglfar, they are a Black Metal band from Sweden who have apparently been around for some time. According to the press release that accompanied "Teras" this is the band's first recording since 2007 and that they "took all the time it needed to record the most powerful album possible." Quite a bold statement if you ask me.

Is "Teras" a "powerful album"? The answer is a definite and emphatic YES! The album opens up with the slow rumbling title track, which initially led me to believe that Naglfar might be a bit more on the "atmospheric" side of the Black Metal spectrum.
However this is not the case as the next song "Pale Horse" runs full speed out of the gate and hits you upside the head like a hammer with blazingly fast black metal.

One thing that I really liked about "Teras", is the fact that the album is not 100% fast and not 100% slow. Personally I've found this to be a common fault of many Black Metal releases: Either they are completely fast whirlwinds or slow atmospheric dirges for the entire album.

A lot of the album appears to be heavily influenced by the Black and Roll sound of Satyricon, which in my opinion at least is a good thing, with many of the songs having catchy hooks to them. However, not all are perfect and the closing song "The Dying Flame of Existence" drags on for a bit too long, but most of the songs are excellent all around.

Overall "Teras" is recommended even to people who normally wouldn't give Black Metal the time of day. (8.5/10)

Curt

Band info: www.naglfar.net

Label info: www.centurymedia.com