Hard to believe it's been four years since the successful Vermin, but time has really passed by quickly for Valder seeing as his main band Dimmu Borgir have been working hard at taking over the world, leaving little room for his side black/death metal project Old Man's Child. Well, now that Dimmu is taking a bit of a breather, he's cranked out this solid slab of metal, called Slaves of the World. Once again, Galder plays most of the instruments here, helped out only by drummer Peter Wildoer (Darkane/Pestilence), who lends his capable talents to these nine extreme metal tracks that seem more and more to be leaning towards the death metal side of things as opposed to the normal black metal we hear from this Norgwegian outfit.
Most of the trademark OMC sounds are here, including Galder's demonic wail, exemplary guitar riffing, keyboards, and drum blasts from Wildoer. Tunes like "The Crimson Meadows" and "Unholy Foreign Crusade" should please those into the band's earlier material, or even Dimmu Borgir, as they are prime examples of modern symphonic black metal. However, on the title track, "Saviours of Doom", or "The Spawn of Lost Creation", the themes are more in line with brutal death metal, with a touch of doom riffing, and it's here that Galder really gets to show his impressive guitar skills. Not only are the riffs fantastic, but he throws in plenty of intricate leads and fills as well, proof that this guitar hero truly is a master of his instrument. Some of these songs are pretty damn complex at times, and the weaving of guitars and keyboards, which can be heard to great effect on "On The Devils Throne", come pretty close to progressive metal. Closing number " Servants Of Satan's Monastery" throws it all together, a brutal piece with plenty of atmosphere, yet pulverizing the listener with manic blast beats, heaping amounts of orchestral keyboards, fierce growls, and furious riffing.
It's by no means groundbreaking, but damn if Slaves of the World isn't a very solid and enjoyable slice of extreme metal from Old Man's Child. Galder should be mighty proud of this one, a CD that will sit right alongside an already strong discography of material from this Dimmu Borgir guitarist.
Track Listing
01. Slaves Of The World
02. Saviours Of Doom
03. The Crimson Meadows
04. Unholy Foreign Crusade
05. Path Of Destruction
06. The Spawn Of Lost Creation
07. On The Devil's Throne
08. Ferden Mot Fienden's Land
09. Servants Of Satan's Monastery
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