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What's this? Osmose signs a French band? A rather unusual move on their part to look in their own backyard, but a good move regardless. Stylistically, too, Yyrkoon is quite different to what one normally expects from the label. Rather than violent black metal or brutal death, this is fairly melodic death/thrash – lots of hyperactive riffing, thrash breakdowns and shredding lead guitar. Of course, they still keep the pedal to the metal, so overall it's more death metal than thrash – much closer to Ravager than Swordmaster, for example.

That said, it sounds extremely Dutch, in a similar vein to early Sinister. The vocals are generally a vicious snarl, perfectly complementing the wicked drum sound (nice balance of deep, non-clicky double bass and a pulverizing snare) and thick guitars. There's nothing lost in the production, it's all well balanced and conveys the aggression without sounding overtly polished. Did I mention that the guitar solos scream, wail and shred all over the place? Oops, I did. Not to worry, it bears repeating: if you're sick of death metal not featuring enough insane shredding like in the old days, you'll definitely get a kick out of this disc. It drags the catchy, thrash-based feel of the old guard up to date with modern blasting death metal, never quite approaching "brutal" status, but always with enough intensity to keep your teeth on edge. Highly recommended for those who like a bit of finesse with their daily beating.