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Considering the state of releases on small, dwindling labels, it's a concern that Winterthrone's third full-length is flying solo. Still, it's as the saying goes: build it and they will come. And I'm sure hardcore genre buffs won't sniff at that fact when it comes to buying the third release from this German one-man-band, The Godslayer.

Truly, this is an impenetrable wall of sound. It takes a great deal of concentration to distinguish any one feature; tracks such as opener "Grave Of A Thousand Souls" are so richly layered with synths, guitars, drums, and distorted screams it's hard to identify this as music at all. But as the album descends into "Death And Blasphemy Unleashed", Winterthrone start to hold your attention due to memorable riffs and surprisingly atmospheric keyboard flurries. From beginning to end, this is manic in a way that recalls early Emperor, but also dark and foreboding in the Leviathan sense. When the guitars take charge, The Godslayer takes names. It is only when the soundscape becomes so overly saturated that you realize the album has fallen short of the mark.

Black Metal comes in all shapes and sizes, and despite the industrial, almost impassable production, The Godslayer will appeal to those who like to spend time with their aural necromancy, as opposed to the flock that prefer it to flail their skin.