UNLORD Gladiator Picture Disk Vinyl (2000)

Dutch black metal at the turn of the millennium had something to prove, and Unlord came in swinging. Gladiator is second-wave worship done with enough conviction that it doesn't feel like imitation, all frozen riffs and relentless blasting delivered on a picture disc that looks exactly as over-the-top as black metal should.

Picture discs are always a gamble sonically, but as an artefact they're hard to argue with, and for a record this committed to the aesthetic, it's the right format. Unlord never crossed over into the mainstream consciousness the way their countrymen in Dodecahedron eventually would, which means this sits comfortably in the category of stuff serious collectors actually want. Netherlands, 2000, full-length.

12" picture disc. Full-length album, released 2000, Netherlands. Fans of: Immortal, Marduk, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Enthroned.