Stronghold - Prayers from a Yearning Heart (2001)
This disc was released by Nordic Mission and is a great cd at a good price. The music is dark and grim yet melodic. Some call it death metal some call it black metal. In reality it is a mix of both death and black. The sound is similar to bands like early Antestor and Schaliach. Doomy and slow at times harsh and fast at others. The production is done very well and the sound is nice and clear. The guitars are groove filled for this style and quite melodic. The vocals remind me a lot of Peter Dalbak from Schaliach. Lyrically this is like reading the book of Psalms, the words reaching up from a point of despair crying out to God. This is a great cd and should be owned by most all fans of dark metal. - Review by Norm