Review by Felix on January 4, 2021.

…man can destroy. Is this the ultimate line for a death metal song? Anyway, it's not too late to congratulate Left Hand Path on its 30th birthday. And which day of the year would be better suited for this than the darkest and shortest day of the year? Back in 1990, Entombed gave, at least in my student room, the starting signal into an acoustic adventure called (Swedish) death metal. I was not aware of listening to an album that would later be considered a reference work for Swedish death metal. But that the twelve tracks, some of them from the estate of Nihilist, resulted in a very strong record, was not to be overheard. Already the opening title track is a monument of monstrous proportions. Its equally brutal and partly fast-paced first half and the melodic-suicidal second half form an outstandingly punchy unity, where the guitars are bursting with power and at the same time keep presenting eerie melodies and fascinating solos. The quiet graveyard melody that introduces the second part has given me goosebumps for years, and in retrospect it almost seems as if the structure of the track was picked up for re-use on Necrophobic's sacrosanct "Revelation 666". The relatively abrupt break and the surprisingly melodic ending of this tune indicate that Joakim Sterner and friends might find Left Hand Path at least not entirely bad. Anyway, the title track marks, to push it to the point, the reference work of the reference work.

So while the opener is a two-in-one package, there are also plenty of straightforward, perhaps less ambitious but still stunning compositions to be discovered on Left Hand Path. 'But Life Goes On' (absolutely awesome), 'Drowned', 'Revel in Flesh' - tracks like these are more simply structured, live from their enormous intensity and heaviness and sound nearly too lively and fresh for a true death metal maniac. Of course, despite the said freshness, everything smells of death here, too, but just this paradoxical situation also lends the album a special spice. Whereby here of course also other factors are to be mentioned. The vocals of Lars-Göran Petrov have the necessary grave aura, but it is far away from the absurd roar and growl of some American death metal singers. Abandoning persistent inhuman articulation, he manages to contrast the words of his lyrics with the deadly sound of the guitars in a halfway comprehensible and properly emphasized manner. I always marvelled at not having a 'Bitter Loss' to complain about, so convincing did I find Petrov's vocals in the eponymous number.

A plus point of this debut was certainly its release date. Thrash metal had become a rape victim of its own forefathers and the second black metal wave was not yet sweeping through Europe. Not to forget that death metal was also still more or less in its infancy. Although Autopsy and Obituary in the USA had already caused a musical uproar in 1989, the national competition Dismember, Unleashed and Grave only hit the scene with their debuts in 1991. Entombed can therefore take credit for helping to define Swedish death metal (acoustically and optically, SeaGrave’s artwork precisely reflects the musical approach) - and last but not least there is a certain magic in (almost) every beginning, a spirit of optimism that inspires great deeds.

One of these amazing exploits is that all the songs on the full-length, without exception, develop their own identity. Despite the voluntarily chosen, narrow stylistic framework, the band and especially their guitarists manage to give each piece its own touch - without violating the homogeneity of the overall work. It's fantastic when 'Abnormally Deceased' is fired off at the end of the record with enthusiasm and riffs that are as efficient as they are excellent, or when 'The Truth Beyond' comes up with an unexpectedly catchy chorus. There is no question of a loss of quality throughout the entire work. Even the bonus tracks live on near-perfect guitar lines and exude a tangible, murderous lust. The fact that Petrov, whose voice occasionally appears with a lot of reverb, suddenly yelps with a dehumanized voice in the closing 'Premature Autopsy' after all, is the final surprise on a record rich in moments of genius.

Lastly, one could go into the production, but anyone who is even slightly interested in Swedish death metal should know that the gargantuan reputation of sound engineer Tomas Skogsberg and his Sunlight Studios was precisely built on releases like Left Hand Path (and “Like an Everflowing Stream”, “Into the Grave” and many more), because he gave them this thundering, deadly, sulphurous, voluminous, well-balanced and destructive mix. So once again, congratulations to this groundbreaking work that has withstood the test of time in a brilliant manner. I’m sure that albums like this one are the reason why the metal community and especially the number of reviewers have grown to the impressive dimension we have today. Thus, if you are a reviewer who was born on the 21st of December: congratulations to you, too. Keep up your good work and stay loyal, even if Entombed’s further evolution cannot be described with terms like loyalty or steadiness. But what man has created, man can destroy.

Rating: 9.7 out of 10

Review by Drew on August 1, 2016.

Those who are regular listeners of black or pagan metal are no stranger to the band Moonsorrow who hail from Finland. They have been around since 1995 and are still going strong. Their latest release in 2016, Jumalten Aika, is a wonderfully crafted album and definitely hits all of your senses while taking the listener for a ride. Moonsorrow fans have been chomping at the bit for this new release and they definitely delivered. For those who are not familiar with Moonsorrow, here’s the lineup: Ville Sorvali (Bass & Lead Vocals), Henri Sorvali (Guitars, Keyboards, and Vocals), Mitja Harvilahti (Guitars, and Vocals), Markus Eurén (Keyboards), Marko Tarvonen (Drums and Vocals), and Janne Perttilä (Guitars and Vocals).

The normal release of Jumalten Aika, which translates to, “The Age of Gods,” only has five tracks; however, it is well worth the money as each track, except for one, has a running time of twelve minutes or longer. The Limited Edition, which only costs a couple dollars more, even comes with a couple of exclusive bonus tracks on a second CD featuring covers of Grave's "Soulless' and Rotting Christ’s 'Non Serviam' as well as a bonus patch. This review is for the Limited Edition, which clocks in at a whopping 75 minutes and 33 seconds in only 7 songs altogether.

Aside from the cover songs and the exception of one track, each track on the limited edition album is over 12 minutes long with the longest one clocking in at exactly 16 minutes. Although there are some black metal elements within this album, it definitely has separated itself and is more pagan metal than anything with the lyrics and imagery. Jumalten Aika contains interpretations and observations of myths and folklore, and the English translations within the provided booklet gives listeners a chance to really delve deep into the lyrics and what stories Moonsorrow is telling. This album is not meant as an album of stories of happy times past; it is more of a representation of the dark, grim, and sometimes evil ancient times.

Here are the English translations of the above song titles:

1. The Age of Gods
2. Plague Grove incl. People of the Dayless Day
3. Wolf’s Hour
4. Mimir’s Well
5. The Age of Man (A Bow into Darkness)

The album as a whole is a great album and will be one that you will not want to take out of your CD player for a long time. Each and every song is as strong as the next, which makes the album that much more enjoyable. The complexity of the songs with the transitions and elements is pleasurable to any metal fan’s ears as it shows this band is not about hitting you with a ton of bricks, but more about taking you on the journey they are trying to convey within each song, aggressive or melodic at just the right times.

Out of all the songs on this album, aside from the cover songs, my favorite one would have to be, 'Mimisbrunn,' or 'Mimir’s Well.' In Norse Mythology, Mimisbrunnr is a well associated with the being Mimir, located beneath the world tree Yggdrasil, an ash tree that is considered holy. This song tells a tale of the three worlds associated with three roots of the tree and the immense size of the tree as well as the branches reach toward the heavens. In the end, the sun has turned the tree to flames. There is quite a bit of symbolism woven within this song, which is probably why I am drawn to it, plus, it is musically spot on introducing different elements at the right times within the song.

The cover art for the limited edition of, Jumalten Aika adorns the band’s logo. Within the inner sleeve you can find lyrics and pictures of each of the band members buried in soil. The limited edition release comes in a cardboard case with two CDs and a bonus patch as well. I am usually not a fan of cardboard cases because they tend to scratch the CDs; however, this case is pretty solid despite being cardboard because it contains two separate CD trays to safely a securely hold each CD.

Overall, Moonsorrow did a very good job with their new release, Jumalten Aika, and made the wait more than worth it for their fans. This album is extremely complex, yet enjoyable at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed this album and still continue to do so as I still have not taken it out of my CD player yet. To give this album anything less than a perfect rating would be doing it a disservice. If you do not have this album and you are a black metal/pagan metal fan, this is a must have in your collection.

Rating: 10 out of 10