Warthur
Following the monumental Under the Sign of Hell, Destroyer (or About How to Philosophise With the Hammer) feels more like a grab-bag of rejected tracks from the band's history than a fully realised new album in its own right. Just look at the number of different artists credited on the piece, with only Infernus appearing on all tracks; given the state of lineup flux the band was in at the time, it's no surprising that the resultant material is a bit messy and disjointed (and the production is pretty lousy too). Still, the compositions are still pretty strong, Gaahl gives a completely demented vocal performance on the opening track (his first appearance on a Gorgoroth album), and the doomy epic of The Virginborn is worth a half star all by itself - but none of this is quite enough to make Destroyer particularly essential.