Apex Violator

New EP for Valdrin, following up the excellent Throne of the Lunar Soul from a few years ago. This seems to be blending their old Emperor-esque style with a slightly more stripped-down sound and more pugilistic riffing. They have not gone full Darkthrone or anything, but I find this EP lacks the richness of sound on their old stuff. The keys are less present, and the vocals are more upfront. A lot of what holds me back from liking this better is the recording and the mix, as I feel like they just don't play to this band's strengths. Interesting but not as good as their last.