I knew this had to be on Transcending Obscurity just because of the number of pictures included in the press pack, and the vibrant colours on the cover… As to the band despite being formed around 2006 and this being their fourth full length is my first listening to this Madrid melodic black metal three piece.

‘Mystic Fires Of Dark Allegiance’ gives us a storm brewing and a slow guitar line before the thunderhead breaks. It is certainly tempestuous stuff with a feel off ‘Anthems…’ period Emperor with a melodic hook that pulls away towards the true epic sound and decent vocals. After a dancing, keening guitar break the song simply explodes into a great widescreen melody, a rush of some firestorm and a swell of emotion. A grand, bombastic opening.

‘Spellbound’ again has that full, raging sound; magic and nature roaring through a cold night sky in a twisting pulsing manifestation. ‘Black Reign Awaits’ is a darker affair, the vocals really stepping up the malevolence to the pounding rhythm and again the guitar surging into an extended break and the drums dense and violent. This is just a fantastic, nasty song.

‘Frozen Kings’ has a different feel. Still dark but a thumping great melodic fist pumping track. A spiky groove like old Destroyer 666 playing a demonic Amon Amarth song. The guitar is gorgeous heavy metal hooks encased in black metal fire and the vocals superb.

‘Wanderer Of Times’ is a leaner beast, a deliberate, fast thrust rather than the all-enveloping assault of previous songs but with a deep melodic spine. ‘Oath Of Forgotten Past’ flicks between an unstoppable rumble and an almost raw attack. ‘Cosmic Black Chaos’ initially a little controlled for such a title but there are passages of swirling rage here too, an ebb and flow of irresistible tides.

‘The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods’ begins slowly, suitably ominous. It is a dense, mid-paced song and I admit I’ve I found it a little difficult to engage with initially surrounded by the drive and configuration of the songs before but slowly its place on the album seeped in.

‘The Fall Of Aeons’ closes the album proper, a delicate elegiac acoustic guitar instrumental once more showing the musical fluidity in Frozen Dawn.

We then get a cover of the Necrophobic song ‘Blinded By Light, Enlightened By Darkness’. To say this suits very nicely beside some of the other tracks on this album is to put it mildly; the dense sound, the sense of melody without losing the aggression, the gelling of being pulled into the depths of some dark, frozen cave all just perfect. A very accomplished cover indeed.

This is an album of unashamed violent melody and great thunderclouds of atmosphere. There is variety here too while never straying too far from their heart. All in all this it’s a superb album of melodic black metal and fire.

Great start to my black metal year.

(8.5/10 Gizmo)

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