This is not a problem for Skogsvandrerne, who possesses a relatively unique sound devoid of recycled Darkthrone or Burzum riffs. The sound is raw, venturing into an Ildjarn-like monotony on occasion without descending into the unabashed worship of Haat, at other times descending into the raucous old-school worship of the Barbarian Wrath roster. Despite the Ildjarn comparison, there is an attempt at variety -- a Garm-like (Ulver) chant here, a militaristic tattoo there -- and my gut feel is that Skogsvandrerne takes his musical creations seriously, which is more than I can say of many black metal demos.

Although fairly varied and with a unique identity already starting to shine through, Skogsvandrerne still needs to do some ironing out of imperfections (and I'm not talking about missed chords here) and create something that flows easier before they will be ready to unleash their primal fury upon the wider world. But then, that's what demos are for.