Antarres Predator ‘Banquet of Ashes’ promo The Oath
	Death Metal meets Black Thrash. Featuring members of Keep of Kalessin, Aptorian Demon, and a guest appearance by Vikotnic [Dodheimsgard]. The proceedings blast off with that obligatory calming intro from whence a barrage of snares and chopping guitar riffs hammers your senses. The initial deathly onslaught is tempered by a thrashing undercurrent that allows the arrangements to flow through a more digestible aural attack. There are short blast of synth dynamics that take the music even further from the more mundane deathly formula one might expect to be here. The overall sound here is like a collision of mid era Sepultura, Deicide, and VoiVod. Experimental, but not to the extent of becoming odd or
strange. The Death influences are more refined, as there is far more melody and audible music to be absorbed than the all out grind of the genres faithful. The tracks are set mostly at a moderate pace, serenading you with quality rather than velocity. The final track is a calm guitar instrumental, and it does not feel out of place here at all. A strong release from a band who have strived to offer something slightly different without sounding too alien.
Helheim ‘Kaoskul’t Dark Essence Records
	One of the old guard of Norwegian Black Metal, a persevering Viking Metal... The band formed in 1992 releasing the raw to the bone the debut album, Jormundgand, in 1995. The early years of Helheim relished in uncompromising primitivism with a ragged sound and ear masticating vocal attack. With this, the bands 6th studio release, we find a less chaotic musical entity. The sound here is more in tune with the plodding density of Hades and Aeternus. The solid production affording a clarity that sets this release above the drowsy atmospheres of more primitive acts. Helheim today offer a more balanced set of songs that would sit well enough with the modern style of Rotting Christ, or the
experimental brazenness of Dodheimsgard. There are many levels of intensity to be found here. The ambience of the keyboard orchestration set to Om Tilvlivelsen fra… divides the album in half, having its eerie arrangement placed midway in the track listing. The song degenerates into the plodding angst of Helhein 6. The true majesty of this album doesn’t appear until the very last track, Svart Scid. Here Helheim add a touch of pure genius to an otherwise safe sounding album. This track alone sets this release above the average.
Mord ‘Necrosodomic Abyss’ Osmose Prod
	Norwegian Black Metal is re-awakening at this moment in time. Bands like Beastcraft, LJA, Taake, Koldbrann, Endezzma, Krypt, and Deathcult being some of the few notable bands making a big noise. Mord [formed in 1999] are the most extreme of the lot, a head pummelling, vicious Black Metal threshing machine that cuts through the air like a scalpel severing a tongue. This is ridiculously fast drum work where the guitars do well to keep up. Scathing vocal snarls add to the chaotic musical vision of Mord. Whereas the previous album ‘Christendom Perished’ was a blatant ear aching affair, this new opus is littered with melodic sections that help to endear the tracks to the mind. This sudden grasp of song craft
has lifted Mord from their otherwise calamitous one dimensional blast attack into a more controlled and balanced level of ferocity. If you can absorb [and survive] the eight equally blasting tracks here, you will either be bleeding profusely from the ears or be suffering from a total loss of hearing. The Norwegian scene is lifting its weary head from the dust of mediocrity, its heart is beating once again and the true spirit of Black Metal is once more raging where it belongs foremost in the world and that's not in Mexico.
Nekromantheon ‘We're Rotting’ mcd Stoy Music
	More thrashing rage and the strain this time is more early Sepultura ‘Beneath the Remains’ era than a blatant Teutonic onslaught. This really is a heaving maelstrom of snapping snares, barking vocals and chipping riffs. The tracks blast forth in short blasts, all averaging three minutes so its not overly technical, just bang bang, thud, thud and its over before you can say “Retro Thrash”. There are other elements that creep into this six tracker. Most importantly the Stateside abrasiveness of Whiplash, and Testament. The hypnotic lead work, the wonderfully sharp riffs just fly at you from all angles. The music’s solid and played like a 1986 Thrash band reborn. The sound harnesses that dirty edge, very much
like the Germanic style, and falling short of the guitar wankery of the more mainstream acts of the era. This little mcd contains some of the best Thrash tunes emanating from Norway at the moment so get ya hairy arse off the sofa and go and seek it out you lazy fucker!
The Batallion ‘Stronghold of Men’ Dark Essence Records
	Featuring the semi-legendary figure of Stud Bronson (Tore Bratseth) from Old Funeral, There must be burning leather and denim in the air in Norway at the moment. The flurry of retro thrash acts of late is quite admirable, if not misplaced in the grand scheme of things. Thrash Metal in its day was an invigorating, restless metal beast that accelerated the basic heavy metal template. There were the razor sharp, polished precision of Slayer and Metallica. There were the more theatrical Satanic offerings of Venom, Sodom and Celtic Frost, And there was of course the Teutonic riff masters Destruction, Tankard, and Deathrow. The Batallion, like there fellow Nordic thrash brothers, Dead to this World, and
more longer standing, Inferno, are of the later Germanic variety. This album is a Thrash Metal kick in the teeth, a reflective burst of Tankards steely angst and Destructions lacerating vocal gurgle. The whole musical experience here is high octane; head banging retro thrash with a modern punch. Of the eleven numbers here you will discover a wide range of tempos and solid guitar arrangements. The emphasis is not on all out Speed Metal, a long lost terminology I am pleased to utter once more. There were even the now unused terms such as, Mega Metal, and Deth Metal, all related to this Thrash phenomenon of the eighties. The Batallion are a rugged reflection of that era and re-enact the times with a vocal bile and musical angst that will level buildings at 50 feet. This is how good, plain and simple Thrash Metal should be performed. The tracks here will sound fucking awesome live, of that I am sure.
Umoral ‘Umoral’ 7” Vinyl Vendlus Records
	Black Metal vinyl, you just can’t beat it.. This band may at first glance seem an obscure act and just another slab of plastic, and yet when you have a line up that boasts, Hellhammer [Mayhem], Teloch [ Orcustus/ Nidingr ] and the vocal terror of Zweizz, then a whole new perspective is gained. Norwegian Black Metal is having a revival at the moment which explains releases such as this. There is a great horde awaiting to rise from the ashes of the past. Before the stylus even reaches the plastic, we have a cover that shows a penis shafting some sluts arse, the inverted cross concealing the penetration. Side A, ‘Say you Love it’, blasts out of the grooves in a thick flurry of guitar fuzz and ear ripping vocal snarls. This is
pretty standard Black Metal, nothing dire, nothing exceptional. The flip side, This Is Not The Darkness You Paid For, is the stronger track of the two. There is a compelling melody to the arrangement that endears the chaotic sound to the ear. Harsh, yet strangely alluring, again it’s pretty run of the mill blasting Black Metal meets a Deathly buzzsaw kinda sound. The two tracks here do sound like Nidingr, probably due to Telochs guitar style. www.vendlus.com
Ved Buens Ende's 'Those Who Caress the Pale'. Kyrck Prod
	An unusual underground release that is a re-issue of the wonderfully different 'Those Who Caress the Pale, demo [1994]. The band featured, Vicotnik, more known for his work with Dodheimsgard and prior to that the lesser known, Manes [not the more established version] Manes evolved into Ved Buens Ende [which means ‘At the end of the Rainbow] The Caress the Pale, demo is a testimony to the early scenes pioneering impetus that paved the way to ensure the genre would survive and not drown in its own self ‘Trueness’ path of one dimensional icy four track recordings. Experimental with its almost VoiVod style of guitar arrangements, Arthur Brown vocal chanting, and a completely unpredictable compositional style. A doom version of VoiVod is the best way to describe this demo.
There is an early Arcturus feeling to the atmospheres that derives from the clean vocals and when it appeared in 1994, the music was extremely experimental and out on a limb. The demo is a more aggressive beast than the following; Written in Waters, album with faster sections creating a more definitive Black Metal familiarity. The dark grizzled vocals are also more prominent here, and the overall mood is one of darkly mystique. Tacked to the end of this cd are some rare Manes recordings from 1993. The music here is basic fast icy Black Metal with a thin demo sound as is to be expected. From the raw primitivism there are tracks that are slower and occasionally striving to offer something different. You can sense some of the peculiarities of Ved Buens Ende in the music and yet it remains obscure for the very reason that it is pretty average. The inclusion of the Manes material is for a historical reason and for that reason it is a worthy ending to an interesting album.
Vulture Industries ‘The Dystopia Journals’ Dark Essence Records
	Labelled as Avant-garde Black Metal, and if Covenant and Arcturus are equally such, then that’s a good appraisal as any. This is a post Black Metal release with a progressive edge. The extravagant allure of Arcturus cannot be ignored, or avoided here. The vocal bite of Garm is replicated well enough [intentionally or not], the melodic broad ranging music alludes to a wider audience without becoming pretentious. The songs are well executed and far from the predictable blur of the Black Metal roots loosely clinging to the guitar sound. Here is a band reaching far beyond the limitations of musical primitivism. This is why Norwegian Black Metal has survived and expanded into the multi formed beast it is today.
With a carnival like piano riding the vigorous guitar strains and those ever familiar vocal harmonies, this is an album that will flow into the head with ease. Not much else to say as this transcends mere primitivism and yet could not exist without it.