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Ahhh... Dead Silent Slumber and their album Entombed in the Midnight Hour.  This one off by Naglfar founder Jens Ryden is an odd album to say the least.  This sounds far removed from anything Naglfar has ever done yet at the same time sounds exactly the same.  It's sad that between the two lackluster Naglfar albums; Diabolical and Sheol, that Ryden was able to create this interesting work of art.  If he took the genius he displayed here and added some of it to his main band, they may have become a lot less stagnant than they are today.  This album is Naglfar gone symphonic Thrash. It's not all that heavy but has a very in-your-face aggressive feel.  It's basically Black/Thrash with keyboards and overall it's an ass-kicking experience.

The songs all have a very epic feel and nature, mostly displayed through the very well done and razor-sharp guitar playing.  The keyboards kind of meander along, following the guitars most of the time, but when they get their own space to breathe they build up atmosphere and are actually an awesome addition to the music.  The rhythm section on the other hand is rather standard fare and is the only real letdown for the most part.  The vocals on the other hand would suck for the most part if they accompanied any other music. Here however, while still feeling a little generic, they fit the music insanely well and the melodies they create with the guitars are great.  Overall the awesome leads, very fitting solos, and oddly awesome keyboard sections are what bring the music together.  As a side note, the very small amount of clean vocals used are amazingly well done.

While this album is kind of short, for the most part it keeps a speedy and epic pace and feel.  The only oddity being the title track which is an acoustic piece with a nice solo in it.  Aside from this odd song (which is actually very good), this album keeps things short and to the point, epic and crushing while never overdoing it.  The song "Blood Collapse" also contains some of the best riffs and to this day is still one of my favourite metal songs.  Overall, if you like Naglfar then this is for you. If you hate them, check this out anyway as the more thrashy guitars and overall epic nature give this music a lot more depth; while not being overly deep.  As a side note, Jens never kept this band going and now that he has left Naglfar it makes me think the true genius he had will be lost, and his masterpiece that could have been the second Dead Silent Slumber album will be forever lost.  However Jens did release an album in 2005  under the moniker Profundi, but I have yet to hear it so I will say this is his best work until I get the chance to sample it.