At the Heart of Winter

Crab-walking, croak-talking frontmaniac Abbath Doom Occulta may be the most meme-worthy of all the black metal blasphemers to emerge from Norway’s frozen fjords. He and his corpse-painted compatriots — lyricist Demonaz and drummer Horgh — backed up their goofy looks with some of the most genuinely awe-inspiring riffs produced in the peninsula. By their fifth missive, they’d perfected their black ‘n’ roll blitzkrieg, making this journey into the fictional snow-covered mountains of Blashyrkh the most satisfying of their storied career.