Bhleg - Ödhin

A lot of this sounds as if it were inspired by prison-era Burzum because of the recurring riff that sounds like "Daudi Bauldrs" which gets recycled throughout the album in different variations. It's probably most notable during the buildup leading into the 6:00 mark of "Alyr III", but it sneaks its way in to at least one moment in every song. The central melody of "Gyllene Gal" also sounds like a play on "Tuistos Herz", at least thematically, which makes me think this is either coincidental or homage. Or I'm just hearing things.

Either way, this is their best album to date, in line with where they should have gone right after their debut, but they got a little distracted along the way.

Average, moderately enjoyable melodic black metal, not something I see myself revisiting. I feel like if they improved their songwriting skills a bit, they could be pretty great, but seeing as this is their fourth album I doubt they'll become a stand out band in the genre.

God, I always feel like an asshole calling bands that clearly put effort into their music "average", but it is what it is... I can't change what my ears tell me LOL.