Considering how skeptical one tends to be regarding everything that the Norwegian shithole called "modern black metal" spews out, it was definitely a positive surprise, as was their previous "Revelations of the Black Flame" with those psychedelic, careful, suspense metal passages remiscent of Voivod collaborating with Bohren & der Club of Gore.
It's not going to be in the top 10 of the year, but at least it demonstrates how ridiculous Satyricon, Gorgoroth, Marduk and the like have been for the last decade by totally beating them in the norsecore game.