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I've been a Berserk fan since their first CD From The Celtiberian Woods, and their follow-up Rites Of Supremacy was one of my favorite Black Metal albums from 2003 – heck I still play that one pretty regularly. Cries Of Blood And Hate is their third full-length, and their first away from old label Oaken Shield. Unexploded Records have put together a really nice package with beautiful cover art, so all that remains to be seen is whether Berserk have managed to produce an album as good as their last one.

Yes and no. The songwriting has not slipped at all, and Berserk still crank out great riffs, but they have taken a bit of a turn into a less aggressive, More Falkenbach-ish direction, with slower songs and some more use of clean vocals. Now I'm not a big Falkenbach fan, so those of you who are may like this change better than me. Still Berserk's riffs have rarely been this good, with excellent songs like "Treason In The Clan", "Monolith", the killer title track, and the beautiful interlude "Oretania". If I have to level one real complaint, it's that the guitar tone is smoother and less pissed-off than on the last album – a little bit too smooth for me. The guitars on Rites Of Supremacy had a real bite to them, but this time out they are not nearly so aggressive.

So Cries Of Blood And Hate is still the celtic-flavored Pagan Metal you should expect from this band, it is a bit less aggressive and more melodic than their last disc, but their songwriting is sharp as ever. Another journey through the celtiberian woods from Spain's best Black Metal band. Not to be missed.