* REVIEWS:
It took nearly five years for NAGLFAR to spit this exhibition of Death-Metal mastery out and the process was nothing less than hellish. Thus the title, 'Sheol' (Hebrew for Hell). Naglfar couldn't have gotten these golden results any other way nor should they ever try.

Though the interim between recordings was filled with frustrations the core of the classic Naglfar group has headbutted their way to the top of a ravenous pack and will likely join in on the greatest rewards of Death / Black / Doom Metal's commercial ascendance. That a group so well anchored in the classic Thrash-Metal sound is making the run for the gold just fills my heart with a black pride that I haven't felt this intensely since Venom crawled from their cobwebbed tomb. Give a listen to 'Black God Aftermath' and see if you can pick up the strains of an early era Iron Maiden, just fantastic.

Naglfar uses its penchant for the progressive so brilliantly and brutally that they can come off as sonic sadists in one measure while damn near caressing the gates of Hell (Sheol) the next, 'Abysmal Descent' being the best example for the phenomena.

There is a class to the guitar work on Sheol that is almost nearly non existent in the Death-Metal sub genre that elevates this disc into competition with any record you care to name. The outstanding weave of guitars on 'Unleash Hell' is Grammy material but don't look for that to happen, not yet anyway. Their performances are still far too extreme for the mainstream but in time I can see Marcus Norman (BEWITCHED, ANCIENT WISDOM, VINTERSORG) and Andreas Nilsson supping at the table of any Metal guitar great you care to mention.

...Nordic mythology intermixed with Judaic imagery; yeah, it sounds a bit weird but it works incredibly well for Naglfar. --David L. Wilson

death metal dan says:
While most bands are programmed into the routine of releasing an album per year, touring, relaxing for a month and then repeating the process, Naglfar are the embodiment of 'quality over quantity'. 'Sheol' is the group's third full-length album in eight years! This is good for two reasons. First, not only is the hype of the fans dying for new material heightened, but the material itself has been re-worked and refined until it stands at the highest quality possible. And this is why Naglfar are one of Sweden's most critically acclaimed groups. Their material on 'Sheol' sounds like a cross between Dissection and thrash metal. It crosses precision guitarwork with the type of melody heard only by metal's most melancholic bands. The production on 'sheol' could be best classified as bombastic. It actually sounds like armageddon is playing out in your stereo's speakers. So much is going, but all of the little nuances can be distinctly heard. The cover artwork is enthralling. There's no one bad thing I can say about this album.

Avg. Customer Review:
Number of Reviews: 1

	275 of 543 people found the following review helpful:
	Swedish black metal for the new Millenium!!!	05/01/2003
	Reviewer: Andrew   from Rohnert Park, CA USA
	Naglfar has been commonly associated with Dissection and Dawn, due to their melodic, brutal, and intense sound. Here on Sheol, Naglfar take it to the next level. Frequent blast beats, melodic riffs, precise drumming, and an all-around solid production put this album on top of the best releases of 2003. Fans of "Storm of the Lights Bane", here is its worthy successor. Hail Sheol and Naglfar.
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