There was plenty of hand wringing when 1349's "Revelations Of The Black Flame" confused and angered many of their followers in 2009. It wasn't what people had come to expect from the Nordic Black Metal band, that's for sure. It was experimental, slowly paced, gurgling and largely ambient, which is quite the departure from their hell-raising, riff-centric madness that dressed their previous efforts.

Not liking an album is one thing, but considering Black Metal is supposed to be a subgenre with no rules, where its artists are free to explore the outer boundaries in order to make their art more devastating and thought provoking, the backlash was almost comical. It was like people were angry they did something different. CELTIC FROST/TRIPTYKON frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer was brought into the studio as a co-producer/inspiration, and it seemed to work, as 1349 channeled their muse and dreamt up something worthy of his achievements. Most disagreed.

It's doubtful the negativity surrounding "Revelations" is what led to their thunder-storming fifth album "Demonoir". Maybe it really was their frustration with their audience not understanding their artistic decision, or maybe they just wanted to go back to crushing teeth, but whatever the reason, the band's vitriol is alive and well. Are you all happy now? You should be. Mostly.

Fischer was again brought in as a helping hand in the studio, and this 13-cut, 49-minute effort (um, yeah) combined what was so riotously pleasing about 2005's landmark "Hellfire" and is folded into the more airy, atmospheric "Revelations" concepts. What you technically have here are six full songs surrounded by seven ambient "Tunnel" lead-ins, all of which draws upon themes of Kabbalah. The interludes are short enough that they shouldn't inspire much track skipping, and they set an eerie calm for the thunderous blasts that are "Atomic Chapel", "When I Was Flesh" (one of their best songs in some time) and the clubbing panic of "The Devil Of The Deserts".

For many, 1349 are back again. "Demonoir" is a wholly satisfying album that makes Ravn and his hell stallions sound like they're stampeding the underworlds. For those who liked the twists of "Revelations", you're not exactly abandoned, and in fact you're the audience that's likely to get the most out of this album.