In Battle - Welcome to the Battlefield (2004)

In Battle's Rage of the Northmen (1998) is an under-appreciated black metal album IMO, but their debut (1996) does nothing for me. This, their third full-length album, sees them moving away from black metal and towards death metal, but it retains some elements of their previous works. The music is still fast and brutal, with just enough melody to avoid being a boring Marduk/Dark Funeral clone. The playing is tight and the production is crystal clear. And there are a few standout tracks, my favorites being "Eldjättar" and "The Blood Divine", which incorporate more than average melody and some intricate guitar work. But a lot of the songs are somewhat boring; fast and aggressive yes, but nothing that's really noteworthy or memorable. So ultimately, I see this as a step backwards for them.

Their MySpace page has one song from this album ("sworld", a.k.a. "Scorched World"), and the best song from Rage of the Northmen -- "The Destroyer of Souls".