Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds

I’ve been listening to both the original version and the reissue version off the Versus the World LP and there’s not that much different about the two of them other than the fact that the reissued one has slightly better production with a more crisper guitar tone that sinks into the listener, and a more audible bass part. Still, this is a great death album that you should look for or at least listen to at least once.

One of my favorite aspects of this band has always been the vocals done by Johan Hegg and how his voice isn’t monotone or have a flat and dull feel to it. He can create what feels like an immense battle or an angry warrior cry with his shrieks, grunts, and screams combined. His vocal speaking is very fast paced throughout much like the entire band itself, adding to the intensity of the music.

The guitars are amazing, very fast at times, full of melodies, and heavy. They change the pace or tempo of each song quite a bit which I like, it helps make the songs feel less like a linear death metal song and more like a hellish warfare going on in the song. The low tune of the guitars creates some kind of a doom metal like atmosphere at times which I like. The melodies have some sorrowful feel to them at times like at the end of the song “The Arrival of the Fimbul Winter” which you can hear it the best at 4:16 in the song, right at the end of each song they set up a lower melody unlike what the rest of the song consist of.

Like I said before, the only real difference between this the original versions of the five songs and the reissued versions on the Versus the World album is the production. What’s missing on this one is the how the tone of the guitars is louder on the reissue so you don’t get that whole aggression and battle like feeling in you. Also the guitars aren’t as crisp and easily to hear so they don’t sink you in and the bass part is a little bit harder to hear on this the original version, but considering that this came out almost thirteen years ago I don’t find it to be that big of a deal.

This is a great EP from one of my favorite melodic death bands. I recommend that you go out and buy it, and if you can’t find this EP you can get all the songs plus some additional ones in the Versus the World album.