Review in The Sinister Flame:
Danish BLODARV have been around well over 10 years and left behind a number of obscure releases, yet only one full-length, Soulcollector (the Thousand Years Tale) 2004, so far. This here, Civitas Diaboli, is a six-track MCD, though it clocks out after 31 minutes, thus qualifying by GORGOTH standards as a full-length.
BLODARV evokes rather traditional feelings with their melodic Black Metal. Here and there, like in the opening title track, they sound promising and showcase ability to really make something interesting with the traditional northern BM sound. The tempo is varied and Hugin’s screaming is occasionally accompanied with female vocals by Satinae Ma. But not all of this material stand as firm and I’m afraid the overall impression creeping in is rather unadventurous.
So there is still plenty of room left for improvement — to put it nicely, for a change.
