4 out of 5

Label: Signal Rex

Produced by: Morthalion

Modern black metal rocks, man. I’m sure that’s sacrilege: missing out on the 1-man, carved-into-1-track vibes of the old-school, but while some of that stuff appeals, I can’t deny that my “in” has been through the 2010s and beyond era that’s allowed for better fidelity, and some more obvious studio layering. For groups like Arna, though, I think they strike a good balance of delivering pretty pure metal / thrash, just with competent audio.

Morthalion is solely on vocals here (the later split with Alder Glade, Mort picks up some instruments), leaving all the instruments and songwriting – lyrics included – to Sanguinous Moth, but the arrangement seems to similarly strike a good balance: Mort is able to deliver ferociously, but there’s a kind of layer of detachment that lets the words through – a lyric sheet helps, of course – and furthermore allows the music to guide us through the 6 – 8 minute compositions, which vary enough to never overstay their welcome.

Arna, or I suppose Moth, applies drum programming in an Austerity Program pummel, tracking it pretty meticulously with churning guitars; the percussion comes across as legit as a result – it’s all kind of raw in a way that sounds live. Musically, we get a core, haunting melody that generally carries through half or so of each track, before a bridge with some extra programming adds some dimension. Closing track Aunra tries to expand on this a bit, starting with the base of programming and building atop, but it lacks some urgency; the preceding Dolmen does the same but the group jumps right into punk / thrash quickly enough that it works.

Otherwise: don’t expect anything flashy really, but there’s definitely something to just committing to good riffs, some standard my-revenge-will-be-terrible lyrics (but literate, and not too overwrought, and more importantly sung in a rousing fashion), and solid but shifting songwriting that keeps the tracks consistently engaging and rocking.