EIKENSKADEN
665.999

Longtime readers of this site know that Maelstrom flies the flags of Eikenskaden (and sister band, Mystic Forest) as high as any. And the reasons you should buy any and all of these bands’ records are as follows:

1) Eikenskaden doesn’t sound like any other band.

2) Not only is #1 true, but Eikenskaden’s take on black metal is colossal: scathing melody rooted in classical music, fucked up and fuzzed out and sped up, sounding brittle and fragile yet simultaneously massive, and delivered with a result that’s visceral and primal and moving to the core.

3) I, Roberto Martinelli, personally helped out on this record.

To prove that this is not an ego trip, know that Eikenskaden’s first record, The Black Lament’s Symphony, is probably still the band’s best. But The Last Danse and this one are more of the same, and if a band finds a sound, why re-invent the wheel? So click that fancy red link at the end of this review and get yourself a copy. It’d be a shame if Eikenskaden were Maelstrom’s best kept secret. (9/10)
(www.maelstrom.nu)