This Norwegian outfit doesn't really add much to the evolution of metal as a genre. Their blend of black metal buzzsaw guitars and doom metal tempos is moderately interesting at first, but the boring (and bored-sounding) vocals don't really compel the listener to pay attention as the riffs churn endlessly on, and the drums are almost soporifically steady. Like many black metal bands and even more doom acts, they don't know when (or how) to keep it brief; the shortest song on this album is a reasonable 4:33, but the longest is nearly 12 minutes. That's way too long to keep hacking away at the same riff, and speeding up and slowing down does not count as dynamic change. Now, admittedly, there are some enjoyable moments on
A Dark Burial. The guitarist heads into a pleasingly psychedelic place from time to time, and there's more bass in the mix than is usual with black or blackened metal. But ultimately, this isn't the kind of album that inspires devoted fandom or repeated listening. It's simply unexciting. ~ Phil Freeman