Sweden’s black metal nihilists Naglfar return after eight years with their new album, Cerecloth. Recorded and mixed by guitarist Marcus Norman at Wolf’s Lair Studio, and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound, the album marks the return of one of the most consistent bands in the scene.
The album’s grim, ghostly cover art from the renowned artist Kristian Wåhlin is almost a prequel to what awaits the listener as the opening (and title) track drops like a bloodthirsty guillotine and instantly makes each year absent worth the wait. “Horns” and “Like Poison For The Soul” fester into the malevolence of my stand-out track from the album, “Vortex of Negativity”.
Things slow down for the ethereal “Cry of the Serafim” but only briefly as “The Dagger in Creation” is probably the most unrelenting track – but with an absolutely wonderful guitar solo embedded into it.
We are then taken kicking and screaming back to the ’90s with some short sacrificial offerings in the form of “A Sanguine Tide Unleashed” and the lamenting “Necronaut”.
Naglfar have one last portion of terror and misery left for the ninth and final track, “Last Breath of Yggdrasil” – Yggdrasil being the mythical tree that plays a central role in Norse cosmology, where it connects the nine worlds. Like a poisonous spider meticulously weaving its web, Cerecloth’s black metal barrage takes zero prisoners.
Getting to the end of this album feels like you have been on the same perilous journey as the demons three, and one thing is for certain – they haven’t been resting on their laurels. Cerecloth is a clear indication that Naglfar are back and just as ferocious as where they left off.
Cerecloth will be released on May 8th via Century Media Records.
