Morrigan: Enter the Sea of Flames

For their second album, Enter the Sea of Flames, appearing a mere year following the debut (Plague, Waste and Death), Morrigan felt a little tighter, doing more interesting things with the sound rather than simply writing an aural love letter to Bathory.  Although without a doubt that influence is strongly present on Enter... as it would be throughout Morrigan's career.

After an effects-laden intro we get the groove-driven, slow paced 'Beyond the Green Hills', again featuring a really chunky guitar sound similar to the debut.  This one delivers some clean backing vocals that will once again remind the listener of some of those Quorthon utilised.  Speed is picked up substantially for 'Thy Armageddon', complete with mid-paced interlude and a pummelling finale.  Next things notch down a couple of gears again to bring to mind Hammerheart with 'Thy Ravens Lay', which is good stuff aside from being possibly a tad long.  (Trivia note: as singer Beliar closes the track you would swear it was Quorthon behind the mic...)  Morrigan evidently loved incorporating 'bitch' into their song titles, as can be seen again with mid-to-faster paced 'Come on, Bitch, Be My Victim'.  We are back in Hammerheart territory when 'To Honour the Brave' arrives, then the pace shifts upwards again as 'In Cold Blood' rips your face off, complete with an Under the Sign... style of solo and a 'Pace Til Death' vibe throughout.  'Anam Cara' is epically melancholic prior to the manic album closer and title track.

If there's one criticism I would level at Enter... it's that it can come across as slightly repetitive, although that has less to do with the frequently changing pace of the songs and more to do with the samey guitar tone across most of the album.  It is quite a decent listen and grew on me over a period of a few months (initial reaction wasn't one of astonishment), proving to be a worthy follow-up to Plague, Waste and Death, though better was to come.