Vreid - Skies Turn Black [LP]

Norwegian black metal veterans Vreid return with The Skies Turn Black, their first studio album in five years and one of the most defining releases of their more than three-decade career. Forged through challenge, reflection and renewed creative energy, the album finds the band reconnecting with the core of their signature Sognametal sound while pushing their songwriting into bold new territory. The creation of The Skies Turn Black was far from straightforward. What began with optimism soon evolved into a period of uncertainty, as the band found themselves questioning their direction and momentum after decades together. From that struggle emerged eleven songs shaped by perseverance, rediscovery and a renewed creative fire. The album's breakthrough moment arrived during a late-night writing session in a remote mountain cabin, where the song "From These Woods" came to life and helped steer the project back toward the emotional core of Vreid's identity. The title track, written by bassist and songwriter Jarle Kvåle, carries a deeply personal resonance, inspired by his experience attending Black Sabbath's farewell concert in Birmingham and the lifelong influence of Ozzy Osbourne and the music that shaped him. Across the album, Vreid merge elements of their past with fresh ideas. Thrash influences rooted in their early 1990s origins return with renewed intensity, while songs such as "Loving the Dead" push the band beyond familiar ground, featuring guest vocals from Agnete Kjolsrud of Djerv. The band's cinematic side also emerges with "Kraken," written for an upcoming film project and marking a full-circle collaboration with one of the band's earliest musical mentors. With powerful production from Anders Nordengen and striking hand-drawn artwork by Kim Holm, The Skies Turn Black stands as one of Vreid's most focused and expressive works to date-an album that honors the band's legacy while driving their sound forward with unrelenting creative force.