### The Flight Of Sleipnir: Ascension

#### 29/10/12 || gk

Americans Flight of Sleipnir put out one impressive debut last year in Essence of nine. Unfortunately, that debut album just seemed to slip through the cracks and remains a well kept secret for the most part. “Ascension” is basically a collection of the 2008 demo, the “Winter solstice II” EP and a couple of extra songs. The quality of songwriting on display here is really unquestionable. Even on the demo “Wisdom calls for sacrifice”, it feels like the band knew exactly what they were doing and the only thing holding them back was a sub-par recording job. Still, the moody “The deceiver, the blind and the beloved” shows what the band was capable of as it twists and turns through doomy riffing, acoustic melodies and chanted vocals in just over 4 minutes. There’s also a cover of Pentagram’s “Be forewarned” which honestly sounds like a pretty rough rehearsal recording but is still kind of charming in its own right. The material off “Winter solstice II” is slightly better in terms of recording quality while the songwriting is of the same high standard. I’m a little hesitant to wholeheartedly recommend this though. If you’ve never heard the band before then start with Essence of nine because the band’s mix of vague doom and black metal sounds with traditional heavy metal came to full fruition there with stunning results. If you’re already a fan, it depends on whether or not you can handle the rough recording quality of the songs here. Still, this is a worthy band and an always interesting collection of songs.

7.5/10: A worthwhile look at the formative years of a very promising band.