As befits their (actually his -- The Frost consists of misanthropic hermit with the pseudonym Gorgor) name, The Frost is the colder sounding of the two bands. As promised on his re-released demo, _Damned and Forgotten_, real drums feature and not a horrible machine. Compared to his demo, the production has improved considerably, a sound which is better suited to voicing his icy, mid-paced visions. The lucid bass acts as an effective enhancer of atmosphere. The Frost has fully realized a vision hinted at by his demo, and while this barely registers in the originality stakes it is immeasurably better than his lacklustre demo and will appeal to any fan of the style.

Black Fire look beyond the Norse legends for inspiration, back to Bathory's golden era; their contribution is strongly reminiscent of _Under the Sign of the Black Mark_. There are worse bands one could sound like, and as with their Croatian counterpart, they deliver a convincing but wholly unoriginal take on an established sound.

By now, it is clear that there is little if anything that has not been heard before on this release, and in a market clamoured with releases of this nature, they may struggle to be heard. Kerzakraum are to be commended for drawing attention to metal from underrepresented nations, and should this find its way into your kohl-stained paws, this would not pass by unappreciated.