THE ASSASSINATION OF JULIUS CAESAR

''Poor little sister, I hope you understand, the babe in the woods will be taken by a wolf''. And the wolf has spoken. ''Legends fail and houses fall'' but the wolf seems to be changing skin with every new release, like a ''Rolling Stone''. ''In the year of the Lord'' 2017 the wolf has decided to go pop, 80's synth and new-wave. Julius Caesar is assassinated, ''Nero lights up the night'' and ''tragedies repeat themselves in perfect circle'' throughout this sinister lyrical narrative.

Haunted, gothic, electronica, gospel (!) and trip-hop dances around the fire with a dose of 90's Tiamat and Dead Can Dance mashed with 80's Depeche Mode the Sisters of Mercy - nothing ''St. Teresa of Avila'' could do about such an assault of experimentation. This time the wolf abandons instrumentals and decides to sing extensively blending their voice in the hypnotic ambience of the album. Despite the dip in excitement in the last two tracks and the overall simplistic nature of the compositions which affects the lasting impression, Ulver will satisfy their ever-hungry-for-experimentation audience and add another stone to their hall-of-fame tower in progressive music.

Most murderous tunes: Rolling Stone, Angelus Novus, Transverberation

3.5 stars