Having recently announced that they were preparing to release an EP ahead of their seventh full-length album, Norwegian black metallers Crest Of Darkness have announced a lineup change that not only sees the veteran band with a new drummer as Bernhard (Pale Forest) joins the ranks alongside founder, bassist and frontman Ingar Amlien and guitarist Rebo, but also sees the band become a three-piece, something that Amlien explains he has thought about doing for some time now:

 

"I've put Crest Of Darkness through some major changes over the past few years, but there is nothing dramatic behind this. As I've often experienced in my career, things just happen in a natural way when the time is right, without being forced to take any drastic decisions. Both myself and my band mates are developing all the time, and as a consequence it is often necessary to make changes in order to keep up with that development, and that is as it should be with any band. I don't expect everybody will agree with me when it comes to this decision but from day one I've had a crystal clear vision about what Crest Of Darkness should be like. I've always followed my vision and I intend to continue doing so. I am very excited about how the new material is sounding and I don't think anyone is going to be disappointed with what is to come.

"I would like to take the opportunity to say how grateful I am for everything that our former drummer and long time companion Kjetil brought into the band. I wish him all the best in the future and I still consider him as one of my best friends! I would also like to mention Jan Fredrik who came into the band with a lot of enthusiasm last year and played some great gigs with Crest Of Darkness. Memories I'll carry with me for the rest of my life."

It is this new lineup that is currently working on an EP to be released on My Kingdom Music at a date as yet to be announced, and which appears on a recently released rehearsal video that showcases snippets of the new material. The video can be seen below:

Amlien recently hit the stage for the first time at a local festival with a band he calls Amlien's Inferno, which includes Arve Heimdal from Amlien's former band Conception, and guitarist Simen Evenrud Bjornsrud, in its lineup. He has also been finishing work on the upcoming album from Roquefire, as well as becoming involved in a new project, details of which will be announced in the not too distant future.

Nine tracks tracing the history of Crest Of Darkness can be heard below:

Crest Of Darkness by Crest Of Darkness

The official video of the track “Demon Child” from Crest Of Darkness' 2013 album In The Presence Of Death can be seen below: