01. Mystic Fires Of Dark Allegiance [feat. Diego López]
02. Spellbound
03. Black Reign Awaits
04. Frozen Kings [feat. Toni Kostra]
05. Wanderer Of Times
06. Oath Of Forgotten Past [feat. Fiar & Pablo Fernández]
07. Cosmic Black Chaos
08. The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods [feat. Fiar]
09. The Fall Of Aeons
10. Blinded By Light, Enlightened By Darkness [Necrophobic cover]

Each year, you may find yourself searching the melodic black spectrum and come across a gem or two, and here's one of those very gems: The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods, a delightful treat for those who wish to reminisce the 90s melodic black scene.

The melodic black genre is certainly not at the height it once was, and we are often left comparing the countless melodic black acts that have formed in recent years with the likes of the mighty Dissection, Sacramentum and Necrophobic, which inevitably leaves us in disappointment; I mean how can any band possibly match the quality of those genre-defining behemoths anyway, right? Now, if you're looking for another The Nocturnal Silence or Storm Of The Light's Bane, you are highly unlikely to find something of that calibre I'm afraid; however, what you do come across from time to time is an album that surprises us, and The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods, by the Spanish underground melodic black act Frozen Dawn, is a good example of one of those very albums.

Frozen Dawn have been around for fifteen years now, and while they're still no veterans to the genre, they certainly aren't new to it either. Taking inspiration from great 90s black metal acts such as Satyricon, Watain, Dissection and Necrophobic, this band incorporates the trve raw, sinister energy and traditional melodies that those bands provided, along with the highly polished and refined sound of today's black metal standards, hence creating a perfect balance of the traditional old ways whilst still maintaining that all-important fresh quality sound.

Frozen Dawn's fourth full-length release, The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods, mastered by the legendary Dan Swanö, takes those major influences from the great Swedish melodic black era, from the aggressively driven, yet highly melodic tremolo riffing through to the rhythmic, yet powerful blast beat drumming, along with the strikingly powerful guitar tone, and sinister occult-inspired songwriting and lyrics about the cold, grim Northern winter darkness. The high levels of groove, ferocity and aggressiveness continuously surge through the album, ensuring the structure flows with great sound, tempo, and rhythm, making this a thrilling melodic black experience, one that is never dull for a second, and ultimately repeatable.

There's certainly an abundance of memorable riffs and hooks, but nothing hooks you more so than the highly memorable ”Frozen Kings": with that main riff and catchy songwriting, you will surely be wanting to have this song on repeat throughout the year ahead, that's for sure. "Frozen Kings" may well be my stand-out pick from this album, but that certainly doesn't mean the other tracks fall short of quality or memorability either; it's actually brimming with top-quality songs, from the atmospheric opener "Mystic Fires Of Dark Allegiance", to the richly melodic and ferocious "Cosmic Black Chaos" and the equally enjoyable "Wanderer Of Times" (also being amongst my personal favourites). Also, what better way is there to pay homage to the Swedish melodic black greats Necrophobic than including a fantastic closing cover of the band's very own “Blinded By Light, Enlightened By Darkness". As covers go, this is an impressive one, and Frozen Dawn really make that infamous chorus their own.

Don't get me wrong, it's most likely The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods won't be considered a classic for years to come, unlike the hugely influential albums I mentioned before, but this is as close to that quality as you're likely going to get nowadays; its simple and in-your-face structure is memorable, catchy, sinister and aggressive, and it contains all the right elements to justify why we still very much appreciate the melodic black genre today.

Performance:	8
Songwriting:	8
Originality:	6
Production:	8