Review by JD on December 16, 2016.

I am a fan of old school black metal - Venom and early Bathory are some of the acts that got me into it in the first place. I do love many of the Norwegian acts as well (Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone), but the original Satan stompers are who I enjoy.

Darkenhold is a French act that evokes the nastiest of black metal around, but still had a sense of melody that is actually refreshing. Cold, harsh and brutal in the utmost, the band extends a bloodied hand to the dark lord in welcoming. I was fascinated as hell listening to Darkenhold and hearing certain things I always thought black metal needed. Songs like 'Strongholds Eternal Rivalry' and 'Glorious Horns' were nasty slabs of black metal… and yet had wonderful melody that made it stand out in the glut of BM. I particularly liked the track 'Mountains Wayfaring Call'… as they added in some Viking/folk metal to add to the bands amazing output.

This album has become one of my favorites in the BM genre, and I hold up as a classic. I am sure this will satisfy both the black metal community, as well as those out there who generally don't get into the genre. Darkenhold is the real deal.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Carl on December 29, 2021.

Here we have another cool old school death metal release from the Netherlands that's worthy of your attention. Absorbed is the name, and this is their only full length. They may not be the most original out there, but hey, better something stolen well then coming up with something shitty yourself, right?

This has Sweden written all over. After the intro, the umpteenth Hellraiser sample, the band launch into their old school attack in the best Entombed manner possible, by ripping off the opening to "Left Hand Path". From there on, they plow through a collection of songs that have all the possible characteristics of Swedish death metal. That well-known buzzsaw guitar sound, the hoarse growling vocals and of course the riffing, it's all there. There is nothing on this album that has not been done before by Dismember and, again, Entombed in the past. And you know what? I don't hate this. Even if it is not original in any way, it still is a very enjoyable listen, because come on, it's pure old school death metal goodness galore. Give me a clone band any day of the week, and I'd appreciate that stuff more than I would the new Pain of Salvation or any other shit like that. Besides, after some repeated spins, there are some other influences that come to the surface as well, albeit in a far more subtle way than their Entombed/Dismember worship. On the instrumental 'Back To Infinity' I could swear that I heard some "Human" era Death seeping through, and in a track like 'Angelic Visions In Bloodred' there certainly is the spirit of Autopsy wandering about. Another surprise tucked away in 'Foul Worlds Decay' is the crustcore influence from bands like Driller Killer and Uncurbed. Who are both Swedish as well, so Absorbed stay true to their chosen concept there. This old school offering has been poured into short and pointy songs, a tactic that keeps boredom well out the door. Add to this the band's energetic performance and a good production, and we have ourselves a very agreeable slice of Swedish death metal. From Holland.

Fans of old style (Swedish) death metal can take this album to heart. This is a well executed slice of music, conceived by folks who clearly have heart for what they do. Again, there's nothing on here that hasn't been done before, but with the whole nostalgic wave in metal these last years, this platter (and their previous EP) deserves to be heard, not forgotten.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10