Words cannot describe the beauty of the composition and the fine orchestration in the album’s intro “Moonless Abyss of the Nighthold” brings a spectral voyage to the formidable realms of darkness that captures the grim and ominous themes of the album. Right after the intro the haunting ambient synth of the song “Through the Woods of Breathing Shadows” encapsulates the grand orchestral score, the keyboards create a ghostly suspense and sublime theatrical soundscapes. The tremolo-picked riffs have an abrasive tone and the drums are like cannon fire, forming a potent medley that uncovers a cold, dark atmosphere draped with the omnipresent synth.

Frosty tremolos stream through the crashing parade of the drums along the swirling symphonic elements and the furious blast beats. The sonic wizardry of V-Khaoz Stormrage resuscitates the principles of symphonic black metal. “Chalice of Silver and Blood” contains sonic spells where the synth provides a spectrum of ghostly ethereal sounds. The interwoven riffs and the grim snarls of Graf Werwolf fit with the tone of the guitars and cascade over the hauntingly beautiful landscapes. One of the main catchy aspects of “The Nighthold” is that the keyboard arrangement provides phantasmal experiences to the blistering guitar riffs and has an atmospheric flow.

The drums unleash a hail of furious blast beats and build a powerful pace full of fast tremolos-picked riffs on “Thy Imperial Malice” that redefine the majestic, spectacular symphonic themes. The magical concoction of the tremolos will leave you breathless as the guitars take a more abrasive tone and brimming with the cold, dark soundscape. The album also includes a number of instrumental tracks like “The Curse of the Plaguewood Lake” that amplifies the haunting atmosphere. V-Khaoz‘s gothic style showcases a splendid performance, with the ambient orchestral texture drifting through a vast landscape of haunted castles and forests.

While the track “Encircle the Spectral Dimension” was previously featured on the band’s previous EP. The unwavering effort of the cold riffing patterns in the track “Triumph of the Nightbringer” maintains a frigid atmosphere where V-Khaoz unveils his imaginative vision of fusing dark orchestral elements into the opening intro of the song. The drums are powerfully propelled at high velocity with the synth towering above the rhythm guitars, its soft tones cast a hue of dark violet light.

“The Nighthold” pertains to the timeless era of Norwegian black metal bands like Emperor, in fact, the whole composition is marvelously crafted to offer a grandiose spectacle. The tremolos bring a thrilling element to the music, although the guitar melody complements the setting of the synth and the tremolos have a dark and somber feel overall. “The One Who Lurks Beyond The Star” launches an explosion of scathing tremolos and blistering drums, the blast beats are incredibly fast and furious and textured with majestic riffs. Every moment on this track captures the intensity of Baron M. Tarwonen‘s drumming, the malice that is embedded in the riffing structure is fused together with the symphonic elements.

While the songs on the album have plenty of breakneck speed. Though oftentimes the songs meandering through slow passages and the guitars give it pure aggression. “A Dark Consecration” brings in an evil atmosphere of menacing darkness and the chaotic guitar riffing provides a powerful aggressive tone.

“Creator of the True Realm” can be perceived by its composition as the synth arrangement brings something unique to the immense fast-paced riffs, the track also features some interesting proggy guitar solos. The ambient elements of the final track “Ghostlands” and the splendid settings of the orchestral samples are very similar to the ones in the movie soundtracks. This nine-minute instrumental cut provides a unique experience and a rare insight into the masterful work of V-Khaoz. The growing suspense in the opening moments highlights the synth textures as the strings unfurling ambient sounds and piecing together the instruments of cello, and violin and convey something atmospheric, ethereal and magical.

The keyboards are epic, symphonic, and majestic and flow beautifully with the atmospheric tremolos without sacrificing the aggression of the music. “The Nighthold” isn’t on par with Emperor’s landmark album “In The Nightside Eclipse” however, Vargrav imposes its superior symphonic quality. Everything from the guitars and drums is mixed beautifully, and the grim growls are the icing on the cake. V-Khaoz has achieved an unprecedented level of crafting some of his best and most memorable albums in the symphonic spectrum of black metal.

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