A long seven years after previous opus Fail·Lure, German progressives Farsot have returned with only their fourth album since forming in 1999. And although their true masterpiece seems to be eluding them still, the band remain an intelligent, worthy group that make a particular kind of black metal branded with gothic and progressive elements. Life Promised Death follows in the path laid out thus far with only some tinkering here and there, showing a confidence and maturity in songwriting which will further endear fans of the lighter side of black metal's dark horizon to them. All seven lengthy songs present are well-crafted, intense pieces of melodic black metal that do a generally better job this time around of moving away from previous touchstone Enslaved, although the comparison inevitably will arise here and there…

The reader alone will know whether such an influence will please or repel based on their liking of the Norwegian giants, yet to Farsot's credit it rarely is allowed to feel too overbearing. Your focus remains on their skills, such as a stately opening in the form of Nausea, ambience that slowly grows in intensity before exploding into melodic riffage, growing more woozy and psychedelic as it progresses thanks to some lurching guitars atop piano plinks. Buoyant Flames continues in a similar style with more rhythmic drumming and a touch more progressive flair with, yes, Enslaved-esque clean signing before upping the tempo and blackened violence, complete with Burzumic plinks and acoustic strums for a melancholic atmosphere.

And then, the slow build of Into Vertigo, acoustic and electric guitars forming a gloomy unison behind the snarled and clean vocals in a way that is almost a direct tribute to Enslaved! Thankfully it soon gels into something more of the Germans' own thanks to an extended darker burst of blackened intensity, yet it does let down the song for these ears, despite their owner being a real fan of the Norwegians. The folksier vibe to the opening of the following Chimera makes up for it, the track moving between more expansively melodic soundscapes and intense blackened mid-paced rumbles and keeping your attention firmly in its grasp. And the same goes for Stray Dogs, droning guitars and vocals atop propulsive drums before launching into the most avant-garde piece present with pauses in the blackened action for Shining-esque strums and vocal moans, later turning almost completely goth rock.

Perhaps a little more songwriting eccentricity would make a bigger impact? The average song length being around the seven minute mark means that they generally aren't in a hurry to move along, either, and a trimming here and there might have been an improvement - the gothic rock moments in eight-minute monsters Descent and Lost Momentum feeling a little crammed-together rather than organic, for instance. Yet as a whole the album undeniably flows well, and even the Enslaved-esque moments become cogs in a greater machine, that grips the listener and draws them in. Not their masterpiece yet, then, but certainly a tremendous album that rewards repeated listens and will enhance the band's reputation with those in the know.