Whereas the last album Firstorm Apocalypse was a bit disappointing after the great first two records, CIRITH GORGOR seem to be back on track now. The opener Total Annihilation should be a feast for all friends of raw but melodic Black Metal without compromises. The Black Hordes and Demonic Incarnation follow up, keeping the high level but showing more variation. I miss former front man Nimroth a little bit as he has left the band, but drummer Levithmong who took over on vocals on this recording is doing a good job. Those elements of melodic Death Metal that appeared on the early records cannot be found anymore, Cirith Gorgor is absolutely pure Black Metal. Once more, most songs are quite long: Master Of Dark Sorcery (hammer song!) is the only track with less than six minutes running time. In some places you find dissonances, too bad that they don’t sound as evil as those on old Dissection songs. But this should not disturb the listener too much. Cirith Gorgor seems to be the band’s definite album, the one they always wanted to do. So we should not care so much about the predecessor. This is Swedish Black Metal style (for me the best Black Metal style without any doubt) from Netherlands. For those who need to compare everything to something else – just think of Setherial. The sound could be a bit more transparent, nevertheless Black Metal fans should definitely buy this album.