Old Man's Child - 'Slaves Of The World'

Feral, ferocious black metal from Dimmu Borgir guitarist.

Galder (née Thomas Rune Anderson) is the Aaron Eckhardt of the black metal world. The Norwegian guitarist is always working, often with the best talents in underground metal, but takes a back seat to his more flamboyant conspirators. During his time away from supergroup Dimmu Borgir he’s recorded album after album of quality black metal under the moniker Old Man’s Child.

Despite clean production that might annoy kult purists and an insistence on using keyboards that detract from the music the album Slaves Of The World is a lean, feral beast that wipes the floor with what he produces in his day job.

Dimmu Borgir’s albums don’t deserve the heaping of scorn they sometimes get from the metal underground, but it’s undeniable that their recent work has boasted a Hot Topic gloss that can only be removed by an enchanted Mjollner pendant. Slaves Of The World dials down the theatrics in favor of blood and gristle. Songs occasionally steer into Dimmu-like bombast but the interludes and riffs are strong enough that you lose sight of the window dressing.

Old Man's Child doesn’t seem to rely on the classic Norwegian sound -- this album has more in common with thrash and even the industrial death of The Rotted. Genealogy and influences are of little matter in this case, anyway. Slaves Of The World is first-rate metal by a quiet but determined talent.