UPDATE: OK, the situation surrounding this album has now become substantially more complicated with the release of a remixed version in 2018, with updated cover art. On the whole, it's an experiment which was worth trying but didn't work out so well in practice. The album sounds, cold, disjointed and alienating, and whilst perhaps that is precisely the effect the band was aiming for it still means that the album is hard to get into - and once you've got into it, you may find that it's not worth the effort compared to richer and more accomplished efforts at technical black metal. But even if you're open to the idea of technical Arcturan marching metal, I can't help but think the implementation of the idea here leaves something to be desired. It's no surprise, then, that it got such a negative reaction - coming across more as a highly experimental piece reminiscent of what would happen if you crossed a marching band with Arcturus. Wolf's Lair Abyss managed to combine the aggression and fury of classic Mayhem with a new level of technical accomplishment in the performances, giving fans hope that the first full-length studio album from the post-Euronymous lineup would be a real classic.
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