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If you like your Black Metal with a good dose of melody, then Last Lightning will be a band well worth checking out. Porten is the debut album from these Norwegians (shocker, I know!) that were formed in 2016. After looking at a few band photos while trying to get some background info, I'm convinced the drummer must have been 7 years old in 2016. He doesn't look older than 12 in the current pictures.

Enough background. Let's get to the music. I have to start by saying I am not a huge Black Metal fan, but I have been gaining a lot more appreciation for the genre over the last couple of years. That being said, THIS is the type of Black Metal that really appeals to me in this genre. Tons of melody and atmosphere that give that overall feeling of darkness and despair without sacrificing wonderful production. The songs vary from the very heavy on "The Old White House" to more melodic numbers like "Thunder" and "Helvete". The latter gave me instant fond memories of Love & Death and Down-era Sentenced in that last minute and half of "Helvete" that continued throughout "Thunder". Before the hard-core fans out there get to upset with a reference of Sentenced, have no fear as this band never goes too far to one side. The melody is always tempered with aggression and vice versa. It's almost like they consciously added heavier sections whenever a song started to get a bit too melodic. That is fine as the songs never suffer and they all come across as a seamless blend of aggression and melody.

Overall, a pretty impressive debut album and one fans of the more melodic side of Black Metal will certainly enjoy.