I’d heard of the name Svartsyn many years ago, but I actually never heard any music by this band until now. Well there is much to listen to for me now, like their complete discography.
 

Damn I like this album. It is the perfect form of black metal to me. Rage, groove, razor sharp riffs, blasts, dark vocals and most of all a great atmosphere. This music gives me the same feeling when I’m listening to Taake, Kampfar, Angst and Satyricon. It sometimes even gives me some shivers. And when music makes me shiver, it means it's either awesome or terrible. This is far from terrible, but I guess you already guessed that.
 

The songs are compact but with enough variety to stay interesting. Many riffs remind me of Satyricon and Carpathian Forest. The balance between melody and raging blasts is great. And the production fits the music perfectly, raw but with a very clear sound. You can hear all the instruments very clearly, there is no big blur or a huge amount of treble.

 

It has been a while since I’ve heard a black metal album which blew me away, but Svartsyn did a great job with Timeless Reign. It is a shame I got to know this band so late. So my advice to all black metal fans: Make Timeless Reign part of your CD-collection.