A master of his chosen craft, Galder and OMC fail to disappoint the loyal devotees with the new album. Offering little in the way of innovation or challenging novelty, _Vermin_ is definitely packed full of entangling energy and synergistic rhythms for the old-school fans and newcomers alike. Galder aggressively puts to the test his multi-instrumentalist nature on this effort without breaking any new ground sound-wise. Extremely intense, _Vermin_ is strictly in the vein of the familiar Old Man's Child resonance; not at all sub-par, but characteristic in nature to previous material. Sometimes, as a critic and fan, this has its advantages too. It can be good to know what you're getting every now and again. Following on that thought, keeping in OMC's modus operandi, Galder enlisted the remarkable talents of ex-Dimmu Borgir / Panzerchrist drummer, Reno Killerich; following Nick Barker and Gene Hoglan isn't an easy seat to fill behind a drum set no matter what, when or where. "In Torment's Orbit", the fourth tack on the catchy hell-bound escapade, offers up a guest appearance by Dragonlord / Testament guitarist, Eric Peterson, as well.

_Vermin_ is an unyielding, rock-solid release by one of black metal's cantankerous outfits -- one that will see more than the occasional spin from time to time, but at the end of the day, down to brass tax, severely typical.