A History Of Norwegian Black Metal

31. Covenant ‘Form the Storm of Shadows’ 1994
	1.In Times Before the Light 2.Visions of a Lost Kingdom 3.From the Storm of Shadows One genuine Black Metal album in the form of the Mordgrimm release, In Times Before the Light, and a succession of cyber prog Black Metal albums, the latter albums having a name change to Kovenant. On this 1994 demo, the sound is above average, with that guitar distortion, and fuzzy atmosphere. The first track sets the proceedings perfectly with the bands mid-tempo preferences, blasting into rabid Black Metal when the need arises. The general style is similar to early Old Mans Child and Dimmu Borgir, with a deliberate melodic keyboard fuse burning throughout every track. The vocals are sharp rasping snarls and inject a malaise into the material. All three tracks made the following, In Times Before
the Light album, but none had the beauty of the Dragon Storms track, to which that album is built upon. Still, this is a competent demo of melodic Norwegian Black Metal.

32. Demonic ‘Nar Morket Faller’ 1994
	1.Spell of the Witchdemon 2.Unholy Gates of Limbo 3.Nar Morket Faller This demo was also released on Necropolis records in 1995 with an additional track. Fast, controlled Black Metal that has a more refined edge than the wild and unpredictable primitivism of Darkthrone and Burzum. This has the vocal breakdowns of Varg, yet never to the psychotic end of the scale. Musically driven by a thick guitar sound, very noticeable bass chords, and aided by the most sparse use of keyboards. The arrangements are simple and never pretend to be otherwise, straight and to the point. The final track, Nar Morket Fallewr, blasts off in a ferocious Black Metal swirl, only to collapse into the most majestic keyboard straddled mid section, to blast back into the furious uproar of tenebrous devastation. This has to be one of the shortest demos to arise from this era, a mere 10 minutes.

33. Helheim ‘ Nidr Ok Nordr Liggr Helvegr’ 1994
	1. Muspilli strid 2. Blandt ulvens frender og krakenes traer 3. Jotnevandring 4. Under the norse sky - de kalde marker av slag fortapt 5. Drommedans 6. Gravlagt i eljudne 7. Gjennom morke og take This demo has a mandolin like intro, a seemingly acoustic tribal chant. From the oddball beginning, arriving on cue are the hammering drums and yelping vocals. The muggy sound and dominant bass thrum, makes the deciphering of the complete instrumental collaboration somewhat difficult. A trumpet appears midway through the track and totally confuses the
minds perception on what was once a chaotic black metal, now breaking up into pieces. The piano introduces the following track, a medieval like instrumental leads us through a calmer moment only to be broken into a hellish Black Metal tumult once again. This is a lengthy demo with seven tracks of snarling low fi Black Metal that oozes that uneasy Burzumesque feeling that haunts the music. Helheim have never been an easy entity to absorb, this fact is reflected in their lack of wider acclaim, and yet it is this raw, distant purgatory of a sound that sets the band upon another level of Black Metal extremity. The demo sounds like it was recorded in the local school hall.

34. Fleurety ’Black Snow 1993
	1. Descent into darkness 2. Mortuus est dei filius 3. Profanations beneath the bleeding stars Formed in 1991, and generating the creative muse of Alexander Nordgaren and Svein Egil Hatlevik. The songs displayed an experimental edge and followed the un-trodden paths of Solefald, Beyond Dawn, and Ulver. The shrill bleating vocals that must surely be the most ear shredding ever recorded. No doubt influenced by Abruptum, as this demo is far from ear friendly. Unique in its vocal delivery, the music however is a very basic guitar and drum framework. One can trace to this point the nature of Fleurety’s musical path, and yet the throat tearing vocals were to shortly be erased. Nordgarens high pitched vocals permanently damaged his voice after the following 7”, A darker Shade of Evil. [1994] This
is definitely one of the more ear lacerating releases to emerge from Norway,. Many bands aspire to create a musical chaos that is designed to fuck with the head and cause maximum discomfort. Fleurety have accomplished this very feat on this demo.

35. Mock - Cold Winter [1993]
	1. The Waves of Agair 2. Bonded by thy Blood 3. Her of Vikingum Black 4. Black northern sins This demo was released on a split CD with German band, Tumulus, in 1995. The music is the work of main creative musician Dolk, who changed the name to Kampfar after the following Vinterlandet EP. Here, the sound swims between the melancholy of Forgotten Woods, and the despondency of Burzum. The vocals evoke both these cult Norwegian acts, and the rough brooding arrangements encompass more of what was happening around in Europe than the localized body of acts. This deathly drowsy style was also being employed by the very early works of Samael, Tiamat, and Darkthrone.
The reliance on speed has never been Dolks main source of inspiration. Like Kampfar, this early incarnation, reveals the mid-tempo power surges, and simple ideas that formed the basic movement of his sustained Black/Viking harmonies.

36. Morgul Vargvinter’ - from the dark streams of night demo 1995
1. Blooddebris 2. Dwelt in the shadows 3. Under the dreary sky A band who have released five albums and yet are not usually associated with the Black Metal revolution. The bands latter albums followed a more progressive extremity employed by fellow countrymen, Obtained Enslavement, and Forlorn. This demo reveals a fine symphonic edge, with keyboards wrapped around a vicious vocal snarl and raging guitar riffs. Like the Emperor debut mcd, this has the compositional skill to make the tracks immediately accessible, holding true to the cold symphonic melody attributed to such a classic release. The pace leaps from fast to slow, dragging the atmosphere through fury and melody and back again. Having a stronger leaning towards mid-tempo arrangements, to allow the keyboards to shape the tracks, the creative leaning towards making the arrangements simple, yet accessible, emits warmth that slowly melts upon the icy heart of the sounds vicious frame.


37. Perished ‘Iin hoc signo vinces’ demo 1993 Perished through the black mist demo 1994
	1. My king's empire 2. My darkest embrace 3. Serpent's ring of hate 4. The perfect face of death 5. The autumn misery 6. A landscape of flames This demo sustains all the bleak melodies and atmospheric qualities of the early works of Gehenna, Satyricon and Manes. The keyboards convey a strong Nordic flavour set against a raw guitar sound and snarling vocals. The tracks are very much driven by acoustic melodies and controlled levels of intensity. This is not the full on minimalism of Darkthrone, nor the head pummelling severity of Gorgoroth, neither is the music warm to the touch like
the refined early melodies of bands like Forlorn and Enslaved. Perished sit somewhere in-between. This is one of those demos that contains material equal in quality and delivery as the bands following album. Perished released the highly recommended Kark, album in 1998, the only real Black Metal album the band created. To discover the band at their most decisive, at the very heat of the second wave of Norwegian Black Metal, look no further than here.

38. Fimbul ‘Det Siste Slaget’ 1995
	1. Vinterland 2. I De Norske Skoger 3. Nattevandring 4. Stillhet…Noreg Opening with a keyboard passage, a church atmosphere is awakened until the juddering, I De Norske Skoger, thunders out of the serenity. This has an uncanny fixation with Emperors, Wrath of the Tyrant, demo, both in sound and vocal delivery. This makes the
tape very endearing as the mind is already re-set to accommodate its musical style. The keyboard, Mortiis style track ‘Stillhet…Norge, make this demo rather unique, as it combines both the harsh and the smooth. One can detect the strains of Wongraven and Isengard in the music’s medieval chill. Four tracks is never enough to explore a band fully, and the second demo, Det Siste Slaget, is very similar in texture and tone to the first. With a spacey intro heralding the lumbering, Det Siste Slaget, a track that slithers though the mist, dragging its mid-tempo bleakness into the atmosphere. The 8 minute duration settles the mind into the demos chilling Black Metal authenticity. The next track follows the same desolate path, with a cumbersome plodding guitar strum, that issues a harsh melancholy. Both demos embrace am ambience and primitivism rarely found on one release. www.myspace.com/candariandemonproductions

39. Imperium ‘Imperium’ 1996
	1.Eternal Pain 2.Awaiting The Decay 3.Trollmannens Vrede 4.The Ravens... Melodic, ravenous Black Metal blasted from a wall of distortion. The four tracks here have a great sense of melody running through the hammering snares and thrashing guitar riffs. Keyboards are used to a minimum, and appear only when called upon to add atmosphere
and depth. Snarling vocals emit their rabid presence across a very well composed set of songs. There is a great similarity to Gorgoroths, Pentagram album with the thick guitar sound and ragged production. As you would expect, the drum work is stunning, There are acoustic sections, slow brooding synth parts, and a warmth to the sound that penetrates out of the icy core of the music’s framework. The image is of the 12” EP re-release. www.spolmask.net/lyderhorn/

40. Thy Grief - A Frozen Realm [1995]
	1. A frozen realm (an ancient scripture) 2. The cosmic symphony of creation 3. A cold winter's mourning 4. Da mörket omfavnet meg A surprisingly vigorous, and decisive Black Metal demo. The main growth of the Norwegian Black Metal scene was already in full motion, and it was bands like Thy Grief, Mactatus and Tidfall, that bolstered the undergrounds wavering importance. This demo reveals a melodic Emperor guitar style, and the vocals are also very Ihsahn in tone. With fast snare-work, and a light keyboard spine, the tracks hammer along in typical Black metal fashion, each meandering though varied levels of intensity and pace. The track, A Cold Winters Mourning, is of the highest standard, and a very well composed Black Metal track that canters along and sustains its melodic rage throughout.
Add the magnificent pagan enshrouded Da Morket Omfavnet Meg, with its Bathory like bombast, and the demo is well bolstered with fine songs and a great wealth of memorable riffs and atmospheric Norwegian Black Metal.

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