Den Förstfödde marks the end of an era, in a fashion. It has been stated by the band to be the last release from this underground Swedish Black Metal band, which carries the name Arckanum. In the last twenty-five years, the one-man band has released a grand total of eight Full-length releases, five Demos and four EP’s, as well as various Splits and Compilations.

Returning to his Scandinavian roots, Den Förstfödde is performed entirely in his native Swedish, with the lyrical themes revolving around the mythical firstborn (in this instance referring to Jórmungandr, the World Serpent of Norse Mythology). Said lyrics take the shape of invocations and prayers, meant to beckon the coming of Ragnarok, the Norse version of the End Times. And while I will admit that my Swedish is sketchy at best, I will at the same time attest to the effective use of this approach:
The near-supernatural approach of the lyrics blend together perfectly with the near-traditional approach the band has taken to the musical aspects of the album. The early days of Second Wave of Black Metal is very obvious on this record, with its distorted instruments and powerfully evocative presence. In one aspect does Arckanum differ from other bands of the era such as Mayhem or Emperor

Tracklist
1 Den förstfödde 9:38
2 Nedom etterböljorna 4:17
3 Likt utgårds himmel 5:24
4 Ofjättrad 4:48
5 Ginnmors drott 3:51
6 Låt fjalarr gala 5:31
7 Du grymme smed 3:59
8 Kittelns beska 9:02