With _Crown of Sorrow_ Valborg push the limits of progressive extreme metal even further than on their previous effort, 2009's _Glorification of Pain_. I'm hard-pressed, really, to furnish the reader with comparisons, but if I have to I would say that Valborg are an even more progressive and heavier version of Enslaved in their latest incarnation (i.e., _Vertebrae_) crossed with _Written in Waters_ era Ved Buens Ende and some modern day Celtic Frost / Triptykon for good measure. Each of the eight tracks on _Crown of Sorrow_, spanning just over thirty-five minutes, surrounds the listener with an extreme and oftentimes unpredictable sonic purview: from occasional heavy barrages of thrash beats, to slow, monolithic, and almost hypnotising riffs and chords, exuding harshness with every down-stroke, to open and breathless passages featuring "Blade Runner" (Vangelis) type synth accents coupled with clean and lightly distorted string contemplations.

Vocally, this band spans an impressive gamut: the duo of Christian Kolf (guitars and vocals) and Jan Buckard (bass and vocals) cover deep spoken passages to death bellows which sound similar to a combination of Martin Schirenc (Pungent Stentch and Hollenthon) and Pasi Äljö from Unholy (the avantgarde doom/death band from Finland); to grunts and shouts that border the mighty Tom Warrior's gruff bawl. And then, when you'd least expect it, there are even some David Bowie-type trills on the monstrously epic, heavy metal themed "I Am Space" (perhaps the best kept secret of _Crown of Sorrow_). The overall production is clear and heavy; and each instrument is able to breathe individually through the mix -- nothing is drowned out here, and there is no competition between instruments.

Another aspect I really enjoy about _Crown of Sorrow_is the layout and cover artwork by Peter Böhme; he did an excellent job here. Much like the cover he made for _Glorification of Pain_, the style, colours and content -- which are reminiscent of Rodney Matthews' approach with those classic "Lord of the Rings" posters like "Tree Beard" -- evoke the same sense of steely foreboding atmosphere as their music; which meld perfectly to create a total musical and visual package.

To close, if you enjoy highly original, varied and genre-defying extreme metal bordering the likes of newer Enslaved, later-era Celtic Frost, Triptykon, and later-era Unholy (such as _Rapture_ and _Gracefallen_), then make sure to head on over to the brand new Zeitgeister Music site to order yourself a copy of _Crown of Sorrow_. It seems that the band are following a very interesting trajectory with their last two releases, so I can't wait to hear what the follow up album will be like.