MORGUL - Lost In Shadows Grey LP (Red Vinyl)

Taking rather explicit influence from the likes of neighbouring black metal heavy-weight Satyricon’s mid-90’s output, as well as Old Man’s Child and Limbonic Art’s earlier albums, this release is pretty typical of black metal coming out of Norway at the time, though the progressive song structures and lengthy acoustic interludes give the music an interesting dimension. This relatively stock-standard approach Morgul take however, has still produced around 40 minutes of really killer material, starting out with the imposing beast of a track that is “Enthroned.” An entrancing spell of keyboard melodies kick off the song, which soon builds up into a climatic ascension of thunderous tom fills and cymbal crashes, elevating keyboard choir droning and a surging wall of raw, distorted guitar. Even by now, you can hear how loaded with atmosphere and horrific ambiance the music is, as well as the quality of the production. It’s a little more refined in comparison to the harsh, grating sound of their aforementioned countrymen’s earlier work, which compliments the various synthesized instruments like flute and violin extremely well. The drums also benefit from this clear, yet still slightly abrasive job, with Hex’s tight double-bass work, blast-beats and fills around the snare and toms well-defined and hard-hitting.