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Always a joy to listen to an album that just makes you say "wow!" Magoth have been taking the best elements of '90s Swedish Black Metal from day one, but they've really outdone themselves on their third album, Invictus.

You can clearly hear the influence of acts like Mörk Gryning and Dark Funeral in the smooth songwriting and enthralling ominous atmosphere found throughout, but that doesn't mean they're merely plagiarizing them. Rather, they take those elements and incorporate them into layered, progressive compositions that occasionally flash unorthodox elements that border on the avant-garde. That might make it sound like a mess, but every track on here is cohesive and focused, filled with compulsive melodies and enthralling performances that make picking favorites difficult. I will say that "The False King" haunts me even long after I've listened to it with its venomous riffs and bloodthirsty vocal lines, all of which leaves me at a loss for words. But really, boiling this album down to highlights does it a disservice, as it all holds together as a powerful and addictive record throughout its entire runtime.

It's one thing to expertly emulate the best aspects of an old sound, but Magoth do that while also updating it and making it entirely their own, which is a feat that most bands can only ever dream of. If you want something that takes you back to when the Swedish scene was first beginning to redefine Black Metal, then this is a release you can get sight unseen. Damn good stuff.