Covenant (NOR) “Times Before Light” 1997 (Reissue 2017)
An excellent opus of Symphonic Norwegian BM - best in class.
I bought this 2LP version alongside the Troll "Drep de Kristne" LP when they were both reissued in 2017.
Those two bands round out some kind of 3rd wave scene of Norwegian BM alongside Dimmu Borgir that produced great work post-1995 in Norway. If you were trying to get into these bands in 1997, just a couple years later - it was an entirely different world. Dimmu Borgir had gone from No Colours records, and poached by Cradle of Filth to Cacophonous - and onto "mainstream success" with Enthrone Darkness on Nuclear Blast.
The timeline is very confusing because this also puts "Times Before light" out 1997 (released by Mordgrimm, also UK - of released Osculum Infame "Dor.." fame), the same year Nagash joins Dimmu Borgir after establishing Troll and Covenant. He continues on in all 3 projects following this.
Either way - approaching these bands after 1997 meant an entirely different thing - they were regarded as the highest "mainstream" inflection point that Norway could offer, and this in turn created a more extreme underground which rejected this kind of behavior - this new underground in itself branched off and flourished in France, Finland, Germany etc. in 1996. Point being that it was hard to take these albums seriously at the time of the late 90s, and all of this wave of "Symphonic BM" from Norway deserves its own reevaluation without the unrelenting "media storm" these bands triggered (let's not forget Old Man's Child).
You will find essentially all the same elements of charm that can be found in Emperor, Enslaved, etc. The other corner of this movement also has creatures like Limbonic Art or Dismal Euphony - who also delivered classics of a similar category. If I was turned off by anything at the time it might have been the shininess of the production and keys / synth sounds especially - but these albums: early Dimmu, Covenant, Troll, etc. have all the same regal song writing, atmosphere, and expert playing that is shared by all great Norwegian BM.