Hymn to Darkness

An excellent release , albeit short.

The 3-song promo opens with a rather haunting instrumental track built around a clean guitar sound that goes to showcase some very non-metal influences (The End by the Doors was the strongest reminder).

The second track, A Key To Within kicks the album into full gear, starting slow and exploding midway, only to slow back down again and close. Also introduced in this track are the vocals, which are very reminiscent of Filosofem-era Burzum. Harsh and hateful, but subdued enough so they fit with the songs rather than take them over completely.

The album closes with a two-part song called The Looking Glass, which is really where Volkermord begin to carve out their own sound and presence. Part one carries the same basic pace as A Key To Within, but adds different guitar layers which really thicken the music out, and the drums change often without taking away from the overall pace and tempo of the song, which really gives the work more presence than a lot of black metal. The second part fades into a slower pace that shows more Filosofem-era Burzum influence, all while keeping forth the Volkermord sound.

The sound quality itself is a very high standard, and definitely better than most early releases bands tend to have. A lot of work seems to have been put into mixing all of the instruments and vocal work just right, and the end result is clean enough to listen to and really enjoy, but with all emotions preserved so it doesn't sound stripped down.