78. Trelldom - "By The Shadows"

Self-described as a spirited manifesto for artistic freedom as well as a grand declaration of war against nostalgic stagnation, this is indeed an oddity of a release. They have already carved a formidable signature into Nordic black metal folklore by being what Gaahl did first before he was conscripted into Gorgoroth. They have never formally dissolved, instead, they have simmered along in the background, reanimated sporadically when Gaahl felt the creative itch.

The point about declaring war on nostalgia is very real here as this is a complete side step away from where the band began. Instead, we get dark avant-garde project that owes as much to free-form jazz as it does to black metal. It is stunningly original and fiercely non-linear. It wanders off into cul-de-sacs of experimental prog that feel drawn from edges of early Genesis, with added bile and bite. Head scratchingly odd but surprisingly intriguing and intoxicating it is one of those records you will be in unpackaging for a long time to come.