This album is not a new opus by Old Man's Child, but it deserves a review to be written about it. I have been playing it a lot lately, as I have discussed Old Man's Child discography with my friends in anticipation of the new OMC album to come out in the early 2003.

Don't forget, the year is 1997 and Dimmu Borgir releases their defining Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. OMC mastermind Galder, a hugely creative individual, just signed to Century Media, and had OMC full length debut Born of the Flickering released as well. In a bold move, going through lineup changes, Galder, who just switched his name from Grusom, puts out The Pagan Prosperity in just a few months after Born of the Flickering sees the light of day. As much as Enthrone Darkness Triumphant was convoluted, pretentious and monumental, The Pagan Prosperity is straightforward, hard-hitting and made for headbanging. You may ask why I keep comparing these two bands. Because, it was determined by Black Metal stars that their careers will be intertwined, ending up with Galder joining Dimmu Borgir on their last album.

From the very first track of The Pagan Prosperity, The Millenium King, I understand what Galder is trying to achieve. If not for synth touches in the margins, melodic chorus lines and classic Black Metal lyrics, this album would be a Thrash textbook. It would take a while scouting Heavy Metal landscape to find the riffs more simple structured, yet razor sharp, precise, and so infectious. It may not sound complicated, a couple of riffs per song, but, man, do they stick with you for a long time! Soul Possessed and Doommaker are prime examples. Most songs are structured similarly: lead, verse with thrashy riffs, more melodic chorus. Galder's leads and solos rival his riffs. I think the man definitely reaches for his Nordic roots while crafting the melodies. Like the one in Doommaker, some of them have nice synth undertones. These aren't full blown keyboard passages to come later on Revelation 666, but they add a necessary amount of atmosphere. Drums are a combination of thrash beats, blastbeats (not too many) and explosive fills. The bass is booming along, and connects with the guitar very well. I would characterize vocals as more Death oriented. The trademark Black shriek is not there, but somehow it is almost better for the overall delivery that way. In a couple of spots, the guys do someting akin to a clean chanting. Sounds like a Hell choir!

Every time I pop The Pagan Prosperity in my player my feet and head go into this stomping and twitching mode, respectively. While not the fastest, most groundbreaking or innovative Black Metal album The Pagan Prosperity has this balanced combination of brutality, catchiness, melodicism and atmosphere. That is why it is so hard to beat, and that is why it grabs the listener and does not let go.