A History Of Norwegian Black Metal

1349 ‘Revelations of the Black Flame’ Candlelight
	The album was recorded at Studio Nyhagen in Bøverbru, Norway, and was co-mixed by Tom Gabriel Fischer (Celtic Frost). The mighty Frost is on drums, and for those of you who like trivia, 1349 was the year the Black Death came to Norway, wiping out 2/3 of the population and ending the Golden Age of Norway. Here we find a mid nineties Norwegian Black Metal band dragged into the new millennia, corpse paint and grimacing in expressive angst. The band imagery just oozes that early Gehenna/ Emperor menace. Musically this band are so fucking severe it hurts, and yet for all you fans expecting another dose of 1349 on a mission to rip off ya balls, you’ll be completely bemused!
This release is a huge step out of the aural drilling this band are renowned for. The hard endeavour to build up a reputation of this stature is precariously perched on the edge of self indulgence. Gone is the fierce Nordic sound storms, in favour of what can only be described as a disjointed, odd and uneven collection of tracks. It is like two mcd’s woven together. Firstly we are greeted with a promising intro of hellish bemoaning and unearthly wails leading into a track hammered by some quite polished post modern blackened metal and then we become lost in the ambient synth tracks. The Celtic Frost influences are also very evident. [no doubt incurred from spending too much time with the drab Frosties] The album is half Old Mans Child style riveting bang up to date extreme metal music that will invigorate the most sombre of fellows, and one half instrumental ambience that will send to sleep the invigorated fellows that were once sombre. Understand?? In a nutshell, this album does not work, it’s a bold attempt at nothing. Where as the wonderfully pure musical ethos of Marduk has anchored their sound pretty much as it always was, here we see 1349’s rabid black metal chrysalis shed and from its torn husk a fragmented swooning confusion. There are bands who have made this leap form the orthodox one minute to the experimental the next and survived, Ulver and Covenant, [now Kovenant] to mention a few. Others like, Celtic Frost [with Cold Lake], and Thorns, whose only real legacy is an obscure demo, have shot themselves in the foot and caused wounds that rarely heal. I think Burzum's peerless, Filosofem album is in a similar format to what we have here, but the two musical visions are worlds apart technically and bodily. So take this album in its two halves and maybe burn it again with one half metal and the other ambient, rather than the alternating mess that is present.

Alverg ‘Elde’ Soulseller Records
	Another Norwegian Black Metal act to appear our of thin air, so to speak. The band had a self titled demo appear in 2003, and this is the first release since. A strange band in many ways, as they appear on first listen a completely forgetful entity and yet this orthodox, mostly mid tempo Black metal that rarely leaves the ‘heard it all before’ path. Play the album more than once and the slow burning music reveal a quite skilful band setting their own agenda, albeit straight and narrow in vision. The melodic abrasiveness of Gorgoroth reflect the style here perfectly, yet Alverg have a far more accessible sound and some genuinely solid songs to nod ya head to. It is when you hit track 5, Syvfold, that this album
really shines. The guitar strums and melodic fabric here is wonderfully rich and it’s a song that most Metal Heads will fail to dislike. The album in its whole has a rhythmic guitar style and the guitar is the instrument that all is built around. There is no keyboard overkill or over complex arrangements. This is an album with little variance but played exquisitely well and forged from a very able group of players. Norwegian Black metal is at times blasé, at others repetitive. Here is a deceptively endearing album and even though it wont shatter the world, I recommend it to any fan of Black Metal. www.soulsellerrecords.com

Drephjard ‘Maktdominans’ Frostscald Records
	Featuring Baal on drums who was in the mid nineties Norwegian act, Baalberith, as well as Infernal. This is the bands second mcd, the first being, Sorgsvart [Northern Silence Rec], in 2006, is a veritable throw back to the icy primitivism that ushered in the early Norwegian Black metal phenomenon. The first track misleads the ears through its seemingly melodic Darkthrone punk dynamics. It’s an icy fusion of mid nineties Taake and Satyricon at their simplistic best. Hereafter the mcd descends into a rapid fire straight forward aural assault. Primitive, orthodox and spiralling out of control within its savage ruthless icy noise. The release is littered with modern warfare samples and follows a very orthodox path. This was
recorded in 2007, so its been a while to appear, but it could well have been recorded in the mid-late nineties. This is lo-fi simplicity set to a relatively one dimensional set of rules that necessitate a caustic vocal scowl, thwacking drums and rabid guitar strumming. It’s as you would expect the TRUE black metal sound to be.

Fenriz' Red Planet ‘Nattefrost Engangsgrill split cd’
	This rather unusual recording of Fenriz' [Darkthrone sticks man] dates back to 1993, a time when A Blaze in the Northern Sky was already out, and the genre defining, Under a Funeral Moon, was unleashed. Fenriz had also three Isengard demos out and ‘Red Planet’ owes more to this less caustic style than his main band. So what would all the Black metal fans have made of this at the time. A doomy project reflective of fellow Norwegians Godsend [they also had their, As the Shadows Fall, album out in the 1993], and numerous other groove laden doom acts from Acrimony to St Vitus. I would suspect they would have felt a bit cheated that the mighty Darkthrone wasn’t the real thing. [And that’s exactly what
the fans thought in them days, how naive but so very true] Musically, the three tracks Fenriz contributes here are nothing more than yawning demo tracks that without the legacy of Darkthrone would have never seen the light of day. Groove emotive doom is not an easy style of music to master, and Fenriz does not have that dreamy hypnotic fluency so relevant in the likes of the aforementioned acts. Sure, the sound is good, the music is very reflective of the style, and the clean vocal a shock to the system considering its date or origin. But that does not mean it's music to set the world on fire .The only redeeming point to this money making release is the coarse sounding, but nonetheless impressive, Nattefrost contribution. Now here is a man who can kick ass via a deconstructed Motorhead style Black ‘n’ Roll atmosphere set ablaze by some raw to the bone guitars and a grizzled vocal bark. This is what we have come to expect from the Carpathian Forest vocalist and if you enjoy is solo insanity, this will enthral you more. Again, Nattefrost's hell for leather metal attack will not please everyone, as it can become tedious after a few spins. As a historical document aimed at Darkthrone fans this is a no doubt essential release. For the rest of us there really is no need to panic.

Kråke ‘Demo 2008’
	Now here is an unusual Norwegian Black Metal demo in that it sounds so un-Black metal. The sound is smooth, controlled and full of the dynamics of Bal Sagoth [sounds like them too]. The musical flow here does not rely on speed or power surges, rather it serenaded the senses with exquisite symphonic melodies and very well constructed arrangements. The first track, Beneath the Black Waters, is the most Bal Sagoth sounding of the three on offer here. A truly rousing song that melts into the ears. The following tracks are individually expressive and have their own vibe going on. It is a rare thing to listen to such a musically rich demo as this most certainly is. There are numerous glimpse towards the great keyboard
affixed bands of the past. Alastis, Tartaros, and the already cited Bal Sagoth. The symphonic surges are sporadic as not to drown the emotive arrangements. The remarkable thing here is just how un-Norwegian this three tracker sounds. The icy din of the frost realms is replaced by the up lifting warmth of the post Black Metal era. This is certainly one of the most solid demos I have heard for a while. www.myspace.com/krakelegion

Ljå ‘Vedderbaug’ Aftermath Music
	This old release has been out on CD-R twice and tape once, here it is finally on CD, with four bonus demo tracks added. This lo-fi icy Norwegian Black metal band have been around since 2002, and already have a blisteringly solid album, Til Avsky For Livet, released in 2006. This is a collection of the bands early material and it emits a very Carpathian Forest style melodic spine meets hyper speed raw Black metal. The acidic vocals bite the air like snapping hell hounds and the general shivering guitars and numbing snare attack collide in a totally genuine Nordic Black metal holocaust. Its simplicity makes it so crude and yet so natural. This is underground Black Metal as heard countless times, it’s
the sound that embodies its soul and nourishes its existence. Without such bands the very purity of Black Metal would melt away into oblivions darkest pit. www.aftermath-music.com

Posthum ‘Posthum’ Folter Records
	Here is a rather fine act from the Norwegian mists that offer a mid-tempo ride through some groove imbued songs oozing darkly angst and pagan atmospheres. Fellow countrymen Khold, create a similar brooding vibe, but they are more gloom affixed and leaning more towards a post Black Metal style. Posthum are very much anchored in the olden days where the slow burning guitar strums of Enslaved and Bathory haunted the air with icy malevolence and smoke tainted vocal strains. The simple arrangements create a hypnotic feeling and this repetitive tempo can seem tedious if you're into the more varied works of Satyricon of countless other more vibrant acts. This is a one dimensional, albeit extremely
solid and orthodox release simmering with that archaic Norwegian sound. Stand out track is the wonderfully emotive, Sacrificed. This is by far the highlight of the album, complete with a violin intro and a compelling riff that just slithers into the ears with ease. So, for the fans who like a mid-paced plod and invigorating guitar strums, this will drag you to the very roots of Yggdrasil.

Sarkom ‘To Ruin Something That Was Never Meant To Be’ 7” EP Aftermath Music
	7-inch vinyl in a gatefold sleeve; limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. It's great to see cassettes and vinyl still very much apart of the underground. Featuring members of Pantheon I, this slab of plastic is one of the finest I have heard for many a year. It mirrors the classic EP’s spawned in the early nineties by the likes of Ancient, Gehenna, Emperor, and Immortal. This is like listening to classic era Mayhem with Attila Csihar and yet retaining a large dose of Sarkom's own identity. The title track, To Ruin Something That Was Never Meant To Be, is a wonderfully malevolent slow burner oozing atmosphere and memorable riffs. The song has a hypnotic plod that creeps into the
ears like some undulating serpent. When the trumpet appears out of nowhere the whole experience is just captivating. This is awesome Black Metal Norwegian style. Flip this slab of plastic over and we get the fiery, Black-Bondage Suicide, a galloping Black Metal gut ripper Zyclon B style. If ya turntable is still in working order after this, play the tracks again!! www.aftermath-music.com

Styggmyr/ Cryptal Spectres ‘Ancient Chthonic Union’ Czerni Blask Productions Split cassette hand numbered to 300.
	Polish Black Metal nihilists Cryptal Spectres, sound like the Dead playing odes to shadows in a cavernous abode somewhere 100 miles south [and I mean below ya feet] of where you are right now. This is rough sounding stuff, raw and totally cemented to the very underbelly of the deepest recess of the underground. Primitive and unholy Black metal played in a tin box. The band cover Burzums ‘Lost Wisdom’ and it certainly has that authentic underground feel, although this version is even more dire than the original [sound wise] Styggmyr are a mysterious entity who appear like a mole at night, and disappear without trace apart from the mound of dirty Black Metal here and there after each twilight release. The releases of this Norwegian act are likewise as awkward and drowned in mysterious orthodoxy. We have had the 2003, Head not Found album, World Massacre [limited to 500], then the equally obscure, Hellish Blasphemy, album of 2005 with, Mayhem’s Messiah on vocals. In 2008, Sathanas Supreme, limited to 500 vinyl appeared and here we
have this even more off the radar release. It seems the band are regressing rather than progressing as each release seems to degenerate into weaker productions frozen in melancholia. If you feel the need to acquire this cassette, you are either a true underground metal freak with a fetish for goats semen, or a self mutilating devil worshiper with a penchant for boiling vicars toes in a pan of sizzling nuns clits. Indeed, that’s how listening to this made me feel.