Norway’s Ragnarok do exist for quite a long time and I’ve always liked their sweet lullabies (the interested or curious ones might check out the review of early 2010’s Collectors Of The King, posted on March 27th 2010). Since their former label, Regain Records, was put on hold, Jontho and his crew needed to find another intelligent entity to release upcoming stuff, and of course Agonia were a worthy, and winning candidate. All together: hurray!
The new stuff, Malediction, was recorded again at the Swedish Endarker Studio by Marduk’s Devo Andersson, and the whole lasts for forty five minutes. And the influence of Devo cannot be ignored - at all. The quartet’s newest effort, well, what can I write about those fine tunes?... It sounds like a maniacal battering ram, a diabolic expression of hatred and misanthropy, a monstrous soundtrack of dark energy and agony. This sonic terror sounds like the Norwegian answer on Marduk, Setherial and the likes, yet still with that typical Nordic touch of grimness à la Carpathian Forest, Taake or Gorgoroth.
No outstanding tracks (in fact, aren’t they all?), yet for sure no fillers either; maybe too less varied, yet again a must-have…