You put this third full-length from Norway's Execration on and don't really know what's going to happen: it's on Hells Headbangers, has an hour-long run time, and starts off sounding like a pure homage to song one, side one, Black Sabbath album one. But this Norwegian band deals in the "Metal of Death," says the label, and I like what I'm hearing: after the ominous doom-y intro, the band lays down dense, difficult death metal that is for sure not trying to impress in the tech department, but is also not trying to be so ugly and murky that the production sounds like a swamp (which I might have preferred, actually). Instead, it's crisp and clear, and the band's sounds are coming through without obstacle, and what we're hearing is old-school DM, some old Celtic Frost vibes, a bit of blackened death, and a lot of oppressive, oppressive oppression. It's all a bit much, though, and doesn't pack the punch of bands who really take you to the murk like Incantation or Dire Omen, and that hour-long run time ain't there for a reason, so it just becomes a lot to take. I love it when they're kicking ass though, like on the riff that kicks in at the 4:32 mark of "Doppelganger", which just rules, or when they pick it up in a punk-Warrior gallop near the finish line of last cut "Funeral Procession" (which ends off with a death grunt, which also rules). But, the album is way too long and ends up draining instead of energizing, and that will be its lasting legacy. Cut it in half next time for maximum impact.