I thought the last Runespell album I reviewed, 2019's Voice of Opprobrium, was an OK collection of melodic black metal marred by some hard-to-ignore flaws, but their 2023 effort, Shores of Náströnd, is much better. Any time you talk about atmospheric, melodic black metal, Summoning and all their acolytes are going to come up so that's a good jumping-off point for your Runespell adventure. What makes Shores of Náströnd such a good listen is the way the album is constructed, from the songwriting, which is very good, to the sequencing, which gives it an excellent flow. For instance, the acoustic "Unfurled Night," which has a bit of a Melechesh vibe, leads into the title track, which starts simple with Runespell adding sonic layers that build up the song to the payoff on the chorus, forcing the listener to take the journey with them. It doesn't quite hit the level of ferocity I would have liked, and in fact the whole album is just a bit more restrained than it could be. I would have liked a couple of spots where Runespell tried to take my head off, but I still enjoyed it very much and that is the one and only complaint I have. Shores of Náströnd is a solid purchase for all fans of melodic and atmospheric black metal.
