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The second album from the inimitable Yellow Eyes was a massive step forward from their debut, and probably the first great work of theirs. Hammer of Night is a bit more direct and significantly better structured than their debut, with songs that have more identity and compositions that retain more cohesion while still being experimental and strange. It's also surprisingly aggressive for this kind of thing, with melodies that are as jagged and harsh as they are stirring and beautiful, and these even make the fairly one-note vocals work better than before. The production is also better, giving more clarity to the proceedings without sacrificing any of the aggressive edge you'd expect from a Black Metal album. Overall, this doesn't quite have the inventiveness or quality of Rare Field Ceiling, but with songs like "Many Long Fingers Bent in Pain" and the haunting title track, it's damn close, and that's no small shit for only being their second album. Strongly recommended.