Adversus Semita - The Ecstasy of Sin’ demo cassette
Tape released by Wolfsvuur Records. Limited to 80 copies. [now that’s pure underground] Cd is to be released through Self Mutilation Services in 2009. Limited to 500 copies. A one man aural tumult from Abandoned [also in Sannhet]. This is a typically raw and icy demo that sounds like its been recorded in a cave in pitch darkness. You can feel the damp atmosphere and dripping blackened slime. The early Darkthrone/ Burzum simplicity is woven into the Transylvanian Hunger zero temperature. There are five tacks to strip your mind of all warmth. You get the feeling at times you are listening to vinyl and the stylus is stuck in the grooves repeating itself over and over again. It gives off a hypnotic sense of loss and complete icy dread. As with all these lowly releases the acclimatization period is essential and thereafter you really will experience some woefully claustrophobic Black Metal minimalism. www.wolfsvuur.nl
 
Amduatum ‘Seas of Emptiness’ Ziekte-NL
These one man bands do certainly create an very ugly din at times. Here we have a dark, menacingly numb aural experience. Think of an early Darkthrone release stripped even more to the bone and drowned in vitriolic fuzz. The Black Metal here is chillingly hard to absorb and as underground as it gets. Its odd to say it, but you sometimes need a decent audio system to make a crudely produced recording digestible. This is basic, fast bleak and grim Black Metal until you reach the track, Conquered by Sorrow. Here the mesmerizing mid tempo arrangement and waling guitars really do come together to create a very
memorable piece of music. There is a great emphasis on guitar orchestration that has the ability to seduce the senses with its grotesque plucking and strumming style. The vocals are bellowing tormented snarls making this album a must for the TRUE black metal fans out there. It certainly has a certain charm and the more you play the release, the more the music becomes clearer. The final track, Seas of Emptiness, crawls along in its own ambience issuing an unnerving atmosphere. This really has a shivering cold tone and could be the Devils own soundtrack for administering terror upon mankind. www.myspace.com/amduatum
 
Forgotten Woods ‘Sjel Av Natten’ Total Holocaust Records
Features the 1995 Sjel Av Natten ep, plus three extra rare tracks. Pure ice entombed Norwegian Black Metal. Together with Burzum, Forgotten Woods are the fathers of what is today called "depressive" or "suicidal" black metal. Formed in 1991, Forgotten Woods are classic Norwegian Black Metal. Maybe never to reach the accolades of fellow scene setters, Darkthrone and Emperor, but this band still retains a very sharp bite. The Sjel Av Natten ep, appeared hot on the heels of the debut album, As the Wolves Gather, and both share a very shadowy foreboding atmosphere. The music is dark, emitting a cold glaze upon a very wide range of influences. The music transcends the simplicities of its 3 chord
roots and moves towards a far more hard rock foundation where the serrated edges of the Blackened muse rips into the air. The tracks are lengthy 10 minute over simplified Metal songs dragged though the most basic of productions and immersed in that Nordic Black Metal frost. The pace is generally mid-tempo, allowing the music to breathe and when guitars solos appear amongst the low-fi freeze it really affirms just how unique this band were. 
 
Feigd - Svarte Sjøar demo 2008
Solo project of Mordvarg [also in Sigtyr] this Viking Black Metal band harkens to the symphonic Viking style of wonderfully rich acts like Forlorn and Windir. The first track, [that’s after the long winded orchestral intro] Svarte Sjor, rumbles along in true melodic warm Forlorn style that harnesses a polished clean sound. This is far from the icy blood letting of the more darkly Black Metal bands as we have a more accessible and sharp mainstream atmosphere generated by the symphonic edge woven into the tracks. The guitar sound is very Gothenburg in tone, like early Dark Tranquillity so that reveals the clean cut production here. The demo was produced in "Amla metal studio" with Espen Bakketeig from Mistur as producer. www.feigd.net
 
Fuck You All ‘Fuck You All’ 7” vinyl EP, Neseblod Records
Recorded live at Hellride Rehearsals 2002. 500 limited copies, 400 in black, 100 in clear/ splatter. A true underground release featuring the main selling point, Fenriz [Darkthrone] on bass. [as well as John Zwetsloot, formerly of Dissection] The 4 tracks are untitled and they were recorded in a rehearsal room so the sound is pretty shit. Musically it’s a kind of deathly punk style not too far away from classic Autopsy and very early Entombed. The songs are galloping catchy death’n’ roll tunes that maintain a certain retro feel. Again, when
you get used to the sound the music becomes a little easier to absorb and all four tracks are great thick walls of guitar. The vocals are caustic Gothenburg gruff and grunts and as I have mentioned the whole sound is awash with the noisy din of practice room abandon. www.neseblodrecords.com 
 
Hordagaard ‘Hordagaard / Arvas’ split cd Azermedoth Records
Hordagaard is one of those bands who seem to be heard but not seen. The prolific demo rate is now up to twenty demo’s, as well as two albums and a few compilations. Hordagaard are a desolate raw icy entity. Arvas is the main band of, V-Rex [also of Aeternus, Ancient, Cold Eternity, Frozen Cries] The band was formed in 1993 under the name Orth, an album was recorded in 1996, but for one reason or another never appeared. The band changed its name to Arvas after drummer Grim [Immortal, Gorgoroth, Borknagar] committed suicide.
Hordagaard start the proceedings and do their normal highly enjoyable raw primitive black
metal in the classic style of the early Norwegian scene. Melody is never far away and the songs leap from fast to slow as they weave that demo quality atmosphere into the frigid air. It has that Burzum meets Carpathian Forest minimalism that oozes warmth from the thin production.
Arvas play to a similar orthodoxy and are unashamedly Norwegian Black Metal through and through. Again the production is raw and both these sessions may well have been recorded in someone’s bedroom [and probably were as the equipment can easily achieve this sound nowadays]. This split cd beats the shit out of many of the surrounding competition though caustically addictive songs alone. There is a very exclusive feel to the music here as it is still very obscure and free from the commercial poison that taints the more mainstream bands.
www.azermedoth.com
 
Immortal ‘All Shall Fall’ Nuclear Blast
The first chords are instantly recognizable, Immortal are back and here is the avalanche of a wonderful sound launching forth those potent guitar riffs, drum hammering and Abbath's vocal intent. This first track ‘All Shall Fall’ soon reveals this band have lost none of their rhythmic writing style, There is a more refined edge to the sound here and although it's not a repeat of the mighty ‘Sons of the Northern Darkness’ [2002], it nonetheless harnesses some fine moments. The Immortal sound is very distinctive, heavy as an iceberg fist to the groin. As the album progresses the music flows at a more tempered mid-paced level with the songs issuing their accessibility to one and all. The one thing that strikes you is that
nothing has really changed in the 7 years since the last Immortal album proper. Its all pretty much what you would expect. Great catchy enjoyable songs played beautifully and with great depth and flair. Immortal are without doubt one of the greatest of the Black Metal bands to inhabit this world. There is a marked Bathory influence also, especially on the tracks, Hordes of War [the initial drum blast could have come straight from Bathory’s, Blood Fire, Death album], and Norden on Fire, a more Viking affair. This Bathory influence was more embraced on the far better, ‘Between Two Worlds’ album, as that remarkable release has a far more dynamic set of tracks than what we have here. The press releases had said that Abbath and company wanted to go back to where they left off with Blizzard Beasts. Well thank fuck this album has nothing to do with that not so great album. And thank fuck that whoever wrote the press release is an idiot. This transcends the most weak Immortal album of them all and basically rubs out the 7 year hiatus in one listen. It’s very difficult not to compare this album with the bands previous, as that’s exactly what it sounds like. There is nothing here the band have not done before. What I will say is I wouldn’t be without ‘All Shall Fall’, as it just oozes class and top quality elitist Black Metal. [Albeit not in any way superior to the mighty, At the Heart of Winter] This will please the newer fan far more than the die hard grumpy bastards out there. But do Immortal care??
 
Koldbrann ‘Russian Vodka’ Metalni Bog
Covers of Korrozia Metalla & Bombarder songs. Edition of 500 black vinyl.
Korrozia Metalla are a Russian thrash band with eight albums out and numerous compilations and EP’s [I have never heard of them!] The track, Russian Vodka is a throw back to vintage Tankard style anthemic thrash metal. There is a dirty modern Darkthrone Punk edge to the catchy mid tempo arrangement. The shout out loud chorus will have you raising your ale horns in no time at all. . Koldbraan are normally far more ruthless in musical vision so its also a strange experience hearing them play this style of metal.
Bombarder are Bosnian Thrash band with five albums out [never heard of this mob either!!]
This is a return to more hard and heavy Metal like a hyper AC/DC meets Maiden. The track oozes that denim and leather mood and is a great cover. This is the strangest EP I have ever heard considering the bands being replicated here, and especially as a normally head crushing Black metal band is doing the replicating. That’s aid, this EP is top class and full of vibrant METAL, and that cant be bad can it?
 
Legiones ‘Legiones’ demo 2009
A thick wall of blackened rage rips out of the speakers in a thundering guitar thrum that will have you leaping to turn the bass down. This 3 track demo is weaved around [and named] after the legions in and around Jerusalem at the time of the birth of Christ. It is lyrically bible related and pertains to the hatred and violence contained therein. Grizzled vocals utter Immortal style croaks whilst the savage guitar strumming evokes Kvist at times. It is a solid thumping sound that flows into the air like molten bronze oozing from the arse of Satan. Fast recycled riffs pound the ears with simple melodies and reveals a very accessible Black Metal sound. The thick guitars reminded me of old Demigod and Dismember. The four tracks showcase some great drumming that adds depth to the music here. This really is an above average demo where the band utilizes choir effects in chorus sections and fine harsh vocal barks. This is a step out of the icy raw level of Black Metal and yet still has one foot firmly in that most caustic of music mediums. www.myspace.com/legionesnorway
 
Ragnor ‘Hat og Nag’ demo 2008
This 4 track demo has that Forgotten Woods/ Burzum style of aural primitivism. The bass is strangely audible amongst the choppy, twiddley guitars that can seem awkward at times. Out of this busy fuzz emanates the shrill vocals and overall basic icy Black Metal that Ragnor produce. The fast one dimensional glacial sound generates a bleak mood of solitude and hopelessness. This is not an instantly likeable demo as the music shifts from awkward guitar passages to agitating vocal barks. This has a very uncomfortable style of Black Metal that generally befits the most ice clad of acts. The imagery of black and white corpse painted figures and that reverberating guitar strum oozes a very claustrophobic bleakness.
You can access the rhythmic chill of Burzum far easier than this demo so if you are of stern stuff then this may invigorate your lifeless soul. www.myspace.com/ragnorhorde
 
Wintergrave ‘Final Termination’ EP
Recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman by Fredrik Nordström, Henrik Udd and Andrew
Hayball between March 22. and April 1. 2009. This has a great sound and considering this band play a very varied symphonic style it needs to be. Think Emperors ‘Welkin at Dusk’ meets Dimmu Borgirs ‘Puritanical’ and the style here will become more clear. A pomp orchestra intro ushers you into the first track, Scattered Mind, where huge riffs glide upon vast keyboard orchestration and crisp piecing guitar strums. There is an unavoidable Dimmu reference here, although never blatant and never replicating. The following, Impure Life, has a definitive Gothenburg swirl about the guitars and just reaffirms the thick solid sound this
band employs. This is a genre that cannot afford weak musicians or lacklustre songs. [You can get away with it playing raw icy Black Metal], so the evidence here confirms that both are on top form here and produce a tight as a nuns crack performance.
http://wintergraveband.com/