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Nokturnal Mortum have come a long way from the days of screeching about antisemitism over polka melodies. I never thought much of them until the fantastic Voice of Steel album in 2009, which was just a beast of a work, massive and thoroughly satisfying in every way. I was wondering if they could keep up with that on their follow-up. It's always a tough position for a band to have to find a way to follow a highly lauded work.

Well, Nokturnal Mortum have not quite managed it. This is almost an entirely new lineup from the one that recorded the last disc, with only drummer Bairoth and mainstay Varggoth still among them, and Varggoth is the only longtime member remaining from the band's older days. This is very much in the same style as Voice of Steel, with the big songs, big riffs, and epic arrangements. It's just not quiiite as good. The riffs are good, but the songs overall are not as dramatic, and the whole thing is Too Long, wearing you out long before it is over. The last album, despite being almost as long, did not have the same problem. So, while Verity is good, it is not as good as we hoped.