Hyperborea

This three-track EP is very impressive, to say the least. Having said that, there's nothing ENTIRELY new about this - these tracks are very similar to Bilskirnir's older works, especially "Avatismus Des Glaubens". For the realists, such as myself, this isn't really a bad thing because that's what we like about Bilskirnir - the melodic yet raw guitar tunes topped with a consistent yet mellow drumming pattern and the screaming vocals that haven't changed one bit over the years.

The first of the three tracks, "As Snow Covered the Hyperborea", is mid-paced and harmonious yet more raw than most BM you'd ever hear. It consists of very catchy guitar riffs, which is basically a Bilskirnir trademark. The lyrical focus here is on frost, isolation, coldness in the vast, vast wilderness.

The tempo is upped with the second track, "Nordic White Desert". This is, by far, one of the best songs ever written by Bilskirnir. The relentless screaming vocals start thing song, followed by the main riff, which keeps coming back throughout the song. You'd only have to hear this track to understand how good this is. The theme of this song is purity and again, the vast open spaces.

The last track, "Autumn Fires", hails in comparison to the first two. This is mid-paced but the riffs aren't as elaborate, memorable or appealing as those of the first two tracks. Having said that, the "doomy" riffs give a good sense of the theme of the song - which is basically fire and a sense of being lost in the burning hostile wilds.

The sound quality of thing album is better than any of Bilskirnir's previous albums and it's still underground production. All in all, this album would last for a very long time in your playlist. I'd highly recommend this to fans of the old style of Black Metal.