Khold - Hundre År Gammal

by Cosmo Lee

Khold's schtick is cool, so to speak - black metal that trades not in blastbeats and anguished rasps but midpaced, head-nodding grooves and commanding growls by a cross between Galder and the Phantom of the Opera. Until now, though, the band has been utterly mediocre. Previous albums were slow seemingly because the band couldn't play faster; blastbeats felt desultory, and riffs came cheap.

Hundre År Gammal
Mester Og Trell

However, Hundre År Gammal (Tabu/Candlelight, 2008) is a different beast. The band has trimmed its fat - no superfluous double bass, every note in its place. Such minimalism runs counter to black metal's usual atmospheric haze, but it's much more powerful. Reference points include Satyricon's Now, Diabolical and later Darkthrone if they gave a damn. Both these entities have been much maligned, but the first half of Now, Diabolical is some of the most sinister metal in the past five years, and later Darkthrone = idiot savant demos.

This record feels like muscles, built yet lean. Blastbeats are at a minimum, dropping only to lash like whips. The massive production highlights the band's complete control over its faculties. Audible bass! Drums with groove! This is quite the neck workout. Oh no, an announcement: "We are sorry to announce that Khold has been put on ice for an undetermined length of time." Chills, baby, chills.

Buy:
Amazon (MP3)
The End (CD)
Candlelight (CD)

Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely

by Cosmo Lee

Trinacria is a collaboration between 3/5 of Enslaved - everyone but the rhythm section - and Fe-Mail, a noise duo comprised of Maja Ratkje and Hild Sofie Tafjord. (The former is a prolific composer and performer whose 2002 album Voice was co-produced by noise terrorists Jazzkammer.) The project began as a concert commissioned by a Norwegian cultural organization, then grew into a full-fledged band. It's an uneasy marriage. The six tracks of Travel Now Journey Infinitely (Season of Mist/Indie, 2008) are too long, yet they contain kernels of great inspiration (except for the 10-minute "Endless Roads," which indeed feels interminable). Enslaved explores avenues beyond its recent '70s prog leanings: Neurosis slow burn, industrial thrash, straight-ahead black metal.

The Silence (excerpt)
Travel Now Journey Infinitely (excerpt)

Given its seed and the length of its tracks, the record feels like it's missing a visual component. Concert photos, as well as the gorgeous packaging (the fiery reds recall Nile's Annihilation of the Wicked), bear this out. Still, it's interesting to hear Fe-Mail push Enslaved to a place it abandoned long ago: abrasion. Fe-Mail's noise whips up thrillingly harsh climaxes, and for once metal is the gentler part of the equation. The last track has haunting female singing that mushrooms into Runhild Gammelsaeter-esque mania that, like much of this record, is both fascinating and unlistenable.

Buy:
Relapse
The End

Runhild Gammelsaeter - Amplicon

by Jess Blumensheid

Runhild Gammelsaeter is a beast. She contorts her vocals to sound unreal, more ill-tempered than any horror film villain. Her intuitive sense of experimentation is profound, surpassing any female vocalist in metal. With her first solo album, Amplicon (Utech, 2008), Gammelsaeter exceeds expectations based on her work in Thorr's Hammer and Khlyst. Putting forth her Ph.D. knowledge of cell physiology, she flavors Amplicon with ideas from physics, chemistry, and biology. Amplicons are pieces of DNA produced from organic or naturally occurring events, like evolution. As if producing music for something nonhuman, Gammelsaeter goes beyond human comprehension with frightening power.

Expanding the Universe (excerpt)
Incubation (excerpt)

Amplicon highlights her many demented voices. She deprives the album of rhythm, which she clearly demonstrates in the first track. "Collapse - Lifting the Veil" reveals Gammelsaeter's schizophrenia. Her folk singing is uplifting, but her roar hammers that beauty to the ground. She then turns werewolf in "Expanding the Universe." Her heavy growl and desperate whispering proves her pluck; no black metal frontman could top this terror.

With the production of Ulver's Tore Ylwizaker, Gammelsaeter puts forth sounds that keep the mind anxious. "Incubation" invites avant-garde listeners with warped vocals and toy keyboards. Gammelsaeter creates comas: hospital beds, blurred vision, impaired hearing. She speaks incomprehensible words, finally hushing the turmoil away after four minutes. There isn't anything out there as terrifying or enjoyable as this.

Buy:
Utech (CD)
Stephen Kasner (CD)
Stephen Kasner (Signed print)

Gorgoroth - Black Mass Krakow 2004 (DVD)

by Jess Blumensheid

Four years after its expected release, Metal Mind has put out Black Mass Krakow 2004. The DVD highlights Gorgoroth's performance notorious for impaled sheep heads and naked human crucifixes. However, Gorgoroth live on video is less exciting than I expected. Three quarters of the footage is mundane shots of bullet belts and bobbing heads. The camera even fails to capture a nude model passing out from heat exhaustion, one of the DVD's most pivotal moments. Gorgoroth bring forth brisk sound, though. The band could dub the video with Twilight of the Idols - the sound is that good. They bolt through a nearly hour-long set with few breaks between songs. Most of the content comes from Antichrist, Under the Sign of Hell, and Twilight of the Idols.

According to vocalist Gaahl, this performance was never meant to reach the public. But when you promise fans an "amazing show with lots of pyro, gallons of blood, live crucifixion, and nude models," expect a television crew and unhappy officials at the show. Krakow couldn't handle it. Due to this over-the-top performance, Gorgoroth were accused of violating the Polish penal code that forbids suppressing religious views in a public setting. (Also noteworthy: Krakow was home to Pope John Paul II.)

But this product is far from being a documentary. A black metal band is best captured in its natural habitat. VBS' five-part series on True Norwegian Black Metal is a more journalistic documentation of Gorgoroth. Gaahl is equally vile without corpse paint and leather. VBS' journalists voyage in winter to Gaahl's house in the middle of nowhere to drink his wine, discover his paintings, learn his history, and discuss his wrath for humanity. This documentary doesn't show the Krakow performance in depth, but the tension between Gaahl and the reporters is far more unsettling.

Buy:
Amazon
The End

Fenriz on techno

Speaking of Darkthrone and black metal documentaries, Until the Light Takes Us will supposedly come out this year. Details so far are shadowy, but YouTube has a hilarious excerpt starring Fenriz. In a phone interview with a metal publication, he affirms his love for house and techno, specifically Monika Kruse. The silence on the other end is side-splitting. (I happen to like Kruse and her Terminal M label, though in recent years she's fallen to the same minimal virus that's crippled most of techno). Few things make me happier than open-minded metalheads pissing off close-minded ones.

Nocturno Culto - The Misanthrope (DVD)

The Misanthrope (Peaceville, 2007) is very much misnamed. No teenagers in corpsepaint here - Darkthrone's Nocturno Culto is quite the social creature. He goes ice fishing with his buddies; he goes camping with REI (or in Europe, probably Jack Wolfskin) endorsee Fenriz; he hangs out with an old guy named Knut; he shoots live footage of Gallhammer and Aura Noir; he plays board games with Aura Noir. This is a paean to community, not misanthropy.

Necroposers

Don't expect a Darkthrone documentary. Devoid of commentary and narrative, this DVD is basically a home video. We see beautiful shots of the Norwegian landscape, clips of Darkthrone rehearsal with Fenriz, artsy footage of Nocturno smoking, and baffling first person shots of cross-country skiing. The latter recall the video game Doom, in which your weaponless hand waves slowly in front of you. Footage of dragging around a coffin goes unexplained. Random jump cuts and cheesy visual effects abound. A cinematic masterpiece this is not.

Yet it's still watchable; a home video by Darkthrone is more interesting than most of our sad lives. The Gallhammer footage is awesome and too brief. Fenriz busts out with some trademark one-liners. Darkthrone in their death metal days appear in killer vintage live footage. There's that classic "toxic piss" scene I could swear I've seen in some black metal documentary. It's fascinating to see a way of life so different from the typical urban rat race. Those who live outside Scandinavia will get the most out of this.

Nocturno's soundtrack is truly ambient - pensive chords, hints of riffs, electronic noodlings. For background music, it's pleasant enough, and comes on a CD along with the DVD. At the moment, black metal documentaries are in vogue; thankfully, this isn't another one. It's just a bunch of snapshots with a-day-in-the-life appeal.

The Misanthrope is available in Europe from Peaceville, and in the US from Relapse, Amazon, and The End.

Darkthrone - F.O.A.D.

Given the critical drubbing F.O.A.D. (Peaceville, 2007) got, I expected the worst from it. I was surprised to find it not only bearable, but also quite likable. It's not a great album - the last half is basically mailed in - but it's memorable. The songs are head-smackingly simple, and, more importantly, funny as hell.

Canadian Metal
The Church of Real Metal

That's probably the problem people have with Darkthrone now. They're no longer black metal, but blackened crust punk. And they're obviously taking the piss. Sure, Darkthrone have some classic records, but they were followers, not leaders. They jumped on the death metal bandwagon, making a fine Swedish death metal record in Soulside Journey (at that point, Fenriz was actually a formidable drummer). Then they switched to black metal and made some beautifully shitty-sounding and horribly inconsistent records. If any band ever needed a "best of" compilation, it's Darkthrone.

Now, freed of corpsepaint and mystique, Darkthrone have more of an identity than ever. I actually remember most of the songs on F.O.A.D., even if half of them are pretty bad; I couldn't say that for Transilvanian Hunger. And Fenriz is hands down the funniest man in metal. An entire song devoted to Canadian metal? Awesome. When he and Nocturno Culto put their minds to it, they can still crank out great riffs - the little octave drop in "The Church of Real Metal" (see, e.g., 0:57) always gets me. Sometimes I wish the production gave a damn - but if it did, it wouldn't be Darkthrone.

What fills me with childish glee about F.O.A.D. is its liner notes. These are some of the best album liner notes I've ever seen. Each song comes with a paragraph describing the influences and story behind it. The songs themselves are about metal ("I've made my own code / Sold my soul to Manilla Road / Modern metal I don't give a fuck / UH! I was raised on rock"). Darkthrone are a meta-metal band now; they even cite themselves as an influence here. The liner notes are filled with pictures of Fenriz' infamous camping trips. His thank-you list even includes his "dearly beloved one-man tent."

To top it all off, Fenriz adds a list of twenty metal records he thinks you should buy, along with one-line descriptions of each (Agent Steel, Skeptics Apocalypse: "If you don't like this, you can just give up being metal.") This record is one big love letter to metal. Even if sometimes it seems like Wesley Willis is writing it, how can that not warm me cockles? Every time I hear F.O.A.D., it puts a big smile on my face. Anyone who frowns on that - well, they can fuck off and die.

F.O.A.D. is available physically in the US from Relapse and The End, and in Europe from Peaceville; it's available digitally from Amazon.

Slagmaur - Skrekk Lich Kunstler

The 33 minutes of Skrekk Lich Kunstler (Nekk Brekk, 2007) required over 900 studio hours. Either the studio was a home setup, or someone cut the band a sweet deal. If Steve Albini had engineered this record, at 10 hrs/day and his rate of $650/day, it would have cost $58,500. Nekk Brekk, Slagmaur's own label, probably didn't have such funds.

Oldermann Uhygge

I can believe that this record took so long. It's dense, twisted, and nightmarish. Imagine the seasick detunings of Blut Aus Nord's MoRT given funeral doom heft, but with piano and real strings taped on. Eventually, the tape dissolves, and the acoustic instruments disappear into layers of groaning filth, cavernous drums, and animalistic croakings. Instead of the usual blastbeat flailings, the drums march at a slow, grim oompah. If My Bloody Valentine's Loveless had had this production, it would have been murderous.

The packaging is quite special, a matte finish digipak with grainy, old-photograph aesthetics. Slagmaur's mastermind, a General Gribbsphiiser, includes liner notes about how to listen to this record ("take your time with it"). "THIS is Black Metal," he says. For sure, he's onto something in capitals.

Skrekk Lich Kunstler is available from Twilight Vertrieb and Black Legion, and also by emailing Nekk Brekk directly.

V/A - My Own Wolf (A Tribute to Ulver)

Speaking of Ulver, Aspherical Asphyxia Productions (say that two times fast), a Russian imprint, has released a two-disc tribute to Ulver - free for download. (The physical version is due out May 15, 2008.) I am normally not big on tribute records. But this one interests me, since the objet d'affection is Ulver, whose material seems especially malleable (see the remix compilation 1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines).

Ulver - Wolf and Hatred
Asmodée - Wolf and Hatred

This project is huge: 26 tracks totaling over two and a half hours, with artists from Russia, Finland, France, Ukraine, Australia, Israel, Germany, Latvia, US, Canada, Italy, Norway, Portugal, and Brazil (see lineup here). I am not familiar with most of the musicians (Joey Hopkins Midget Factory???). Some, however, I recognize on the cutting edge - France's Smohalla and Sael (France, as far as I'm concerned, is metal's cutting edge at the moment), Zweizz (ex-Dødheimsgard), Aidan Baker of Nadja.

Breakdown of albums covered: Perdition City and Kveldssanger at the top, followed by Nattens Madrigal. Perdition City makes sense - as Ulver's most electronic album, it's ripe for "remixing." Ironically, so is Kveldssanger, but because it's all-acoustic. From there, it's a grab bag, with some interesting choices - two tracks from the Vargnatt demo, two out of the three tracks of the Silencing the Singing EP.

Ulver - Catalept
Joey Hopkins Midget Factory - Catalept

The reinterpretations here are fascinating. Panacea Enterpainment turns the winsome melodies of "Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses" into beautifully blown-out, distorted ambience a la The Angelic Process. Aidan Baker's take on "Eitttlane" is a likewise massive, moving ambient sculpture. Jääportit morphs "Gnosis" into an 11-minute monster of menacing atmospheres, rolling beats, and female vocals; it's much, much stronger than the original.

Perhaps most intriguing is where the artists inject metal where there wasn't any before. The acoustic "Utreise" gets reworked twice - both times as melodic doom. Joey Hopkins Midget Factory reshapes the Bernard Herrmann-meets-RZA hip-hop of "Catalept" into a lush Tim Burton fantasy, complete with brief metallic guitars.

Ulver - Utreise
Avathar - Utreise
Bosque - Utreise

Not all the covers are revelatory, and there are a few downright clunkers. But smoothing the ride is the logical sequencing - weird stuff first, then straight black metal, then electronic bits leading to ambience, and so on. This release works on a stand-alone basis, but also sheds light on its source material. As a covers project, it's an absolute success. I can't believe the label is giving it away for free.

Download disc 1 here; disc 2 here; see here for the full list of download links and mirrors. If you like Ulver in any way, there is no reason why you shouldn't grab this.

Ulver - Shadows of the Sun

Those who carp about Ulver's post-black metal output should note that the "Black Metal Trilogie" (Bergtatt, Kveldssanger, Nattens Madrigal) represent but the first three years of Ulver's existence. Since then, the band has spent over a decade growing, experimenting, and striving for more individuality than 99% of black metal bands ever will.

Vigil
Funebre

Admittedly, the results have been spotty. Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998) and Perdition City (2000) were multi-genre melanges; the latter recalls Dødheimsgard's scattershot 666 International, which came out around the same time (1999). Lyckantropen Themes (2002) was a bit minimal, but functioned as a film soundtrack. Also a soundtrack and thus instrumental, Svidd Neger (2003) was emotive and lush. Blood Inside (2005) was overwrought.

On Shadows of the Sun (Jester/The End, 2007), Ulver have found their balance. They've stopped trying to be something else (electronica, avant-garde, soundtrack, etc.). For once, the band has settled on an identity, kneading it instead of dabbling. The identity is more adjectives (atmospheric, almost percussionless) than nouns (rock, prog). Ulver have found their sound by escaping genres.

The sound is relaxed, warm, dusky. Bandleader Garm's voice is smooth, dark, like hot cocoa. Strings, trumpet, and theremin stir the drink. Christian Fennesz is credited with "supplemental shimmer." The vibe is mellow, but not optimistic. In an interview with Heathen Harvest, Garm said, "Nature is pretty fucking depressing, we are all here to die. And I guess we do what we do to forget the countdown, and there's a simple kind of beauty in that."

Throughout, the tone is elegiac. "Funebre" grieves for the fallen more poignantly than a hundred Amon Amarth songs: "In memory of a missing person / An angel / A flight of ravens into the sunset." "Vigil" is "For all who used to be / And now are in the dark." A cover of Black Sabbath's "Solitude" fits right in: "Sunshine is far away, clouds linger on." Horns and sunsets, indeed.

Shadows of the Sun is available physically and digitally from Jester, Amazon, and The End (the latter only physically).

Slavia - Strength and Vision

After eight demos and two EP's, Bergen, Norge's Slavia finally issues its first full-length. It's unclear whether Slavia is a one-man project with live session musicians, or a full-blown band. What's certain is that Jonas Raskolnikov Christiansen is on vocals (Raskolnikov is an awfully heavy name to lay on a child), backed by members of Glorior Belli, Deathcon, and Taake, including the infamous Hoest on bass. It's taken 10 years to summon up Strength and Vision (Drakkar, 2007), but the wait is well worth it.

Pissdrained Castles of Gold
Divided by Three

You know how at Slayer shows, girls will stick their tongues out, throw the goat, and yell "Fucking Slayer!" with a crazed, "I am small but violent" look in their eye? This record should elicit similar reactions. No depressive drones, no atmospheric bullshit, just fire-breathing, take-no-prisoners black metal. This stuff rocks.

Part of this record's appeal is its randomness. Sure, it dishes out godlike riffs, epic melodies, and scrubbing pad vocals like it ain't a thang. But not only does it end with a beautiful acoustic instrumental, it also goes buckwild with sampling. Either that, or the band has a full symphony at its disposal, which I highly doubt. It takes balls to sample this much - the opening orchestral fanfare lasts 1:18; "Divided by Three" begins with 1:11 of Chopin's Funeral March, and ends with traditional ethnic music (Middle Eastern? South Asian?) that's completely apropros of nothing. WTF?!

With the logo's iron crosses and the patriotic march that ends "Pissdrained Castles of Gold," I feared the worst. But when I asked the band if it was NSBM, the reply was, "Not at all." No lyrics came with the promo, but judging from the song titles, Slavia is about good old-fashioned blasphemy. This is easily one of the best black metal records of the year - don't sleep.

Strength and Vision is available in Europe at Drakkar, and in the US at Hells Headbangers. A live set with the album's songs is downloadable for free here.

Ignitor, Sanctity, Portal, Chiodos, Audiopain

Occasionally, a record comes along and grabs my "too many releases these days," "illegal downloading is cheapening music," "tired of wading through Blabbermouth's endless Aerosmith and KISS news, not to mention every single Megadeth micro-update," "will vomit upon hearing another deathcore album," "will vomit upon hearing another retro thrash album," "Metallica should pack it in" jaded metalhead ass so much that I can only sit back and go: "Damn, this is good." Ignitor's Road of Bones is that record. I've reviewed it here.

Ignitor - March to the Guillotine
Sanctity - Beloved Killer
Chiodos - Lexington
Portal - Omnipotent Crawling Chaos
Audiopain - Holy Toxic

Also on the traditional tip, but with a modern edge, is the excellent debut by Sanctity. I never thought I'd big up Roadrunner releases so much, but this one has been doing it for me. A new metal band that writes actual songs - imagine that! At Metal Injection, I've also reviewed bizarro death metallers Portal and everything-core outfit Chiodos. At Decibel, I've reviewed Norwegian thrashers Audiopain.

Dødheimsgard (DHG) - Supervillain Outcast

Dødheimsgard started as a standard black metal outfit (1996's Monumental Possession stands out), then threw fans a major curve ball with 1999's 666 International. The album was, frankly, a friggin' mess. Blastbeats and industrial hip hop and classical piano interludes made for an occasionally interesting but wildly scattershot listen. A name contraction in 2000 to DHG was probably warranted, but created further brand confusion.

The Snuff Dreams Are Made of
Ghostforce Soul Constrictor

Years have passed, and the time off has evidently done good for the band. Supervillain Outcast (Moonfog, 2007) is much more coherent than its predecessor, pulling back slightly on experimentation while returning to the band's black metal roots. The production is also much more sophisticated now. Thus, surprises like the strange horn samples in "The Snuff Dreams Are Made Of" or the wacky techno noises in "Ghostforce Soul Constrictor" actually work this time.

Ephel Duath comes to mind, not in complexity, but in menacing emotional detachment, if that makes any sense. Mr. Bungle gone black metal (which would be Ephel Duath's first album, actually) is also another possible reference point. I'm not sure what this album says, if it's saying anything; then again, I'm not sure if Mr. Bungle ever said anything, and they were similarly fascinating.

The mix is a bit clean and light for me (Abigor's recent Fractal Possession has similar sound); for industrial black metal, I prefer more dirt and malice a la Anaal Nathrakh. But while this record doesn't really hit me viscerally, it's satisfying cerebrally, offering lots of layers and details. Of note is the band's stunning MySpace, designed by Justin Bartlett. It's near impossible to make a MySpace page look good, but Bartlett has done it. Supervillain Outcast is available from Moonfog in Europe and The End in the US.

Antigama, Throne of Katarsis, Get Thrashed, and more

Antigama

A bunch of new writing up - at Metal Injection, I've got reviews of Polish grinders Antigama, Norwegian black metal band Throne of Katarsis, and Los Angeles prog metallers Redemption, as well as interviews with Spanish band NahemaH and shredder Laura Christine from San Diego death metallers Warface.

Antigama - Neutral Balance
Naglfar - The Darkest Road
Stalaggh - Projekt Misanthropia (excerpt)

At Stylus, I've reviewed Rick Ernst's excellent documentary film, Get Thrashed: The History of Thrash Metal. I also have dual reviews of black metallers Naglfar/Nagelfar and the literally insane Diagnose: Lebensgefahr/Stalaggh. Stalaggh is hands down the scariest sound I've ever heard. Coil's Hellraiser themes, the original Omen soundtrack, Prussian Blue - all pale in comparison.

Gorgoroth documentary

VBS.tv (aka Vice TV) has posted its five-part documentary on Gorgoroth. It's short, about half an hour total. Photographer Peter Beste is involved, which no doubt aided this rare, intimate look at singer Gaahl. Ignore the silly TV/PS3 interface, and check it out:

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Thanks to reader Jess for pointing this out.
Photo by Alexander Langsholt.

Blood Tsunami - Thrash Metal

Devoured by Flames

Nocturnal Art
2007



For some reason, retro thrash is hip right now. Every other day seems to yield another band with denim jackets, improbable hair, and Ed Repka artwork. However, little of this stuff feels like what it claims to emulate. The riffs, tones, beats, vocals, and, most importantly, the vibe are all different.

Hence my suspicion at the brazen title of Blood Tsunami's debut album. It's almost as ludicrous (and unimaginative) as Annihilator's forthcoming Metal. While the Norwegian band may fancy itself flying the flag of thrash, I really don't agree. I do hear bits and pieces of the German and Bay Area sounds, including a brief, blatant Slayer homage/ripoff. But overall, this doesn't walk the walk - of pure thrash, anyway. It is a pretty solid metal album, though.

What separates so much nu-old thrash, including this album, from the true old-school is that it's too melodic. Plenty of '80s thrash was melodic, but it usually alternated with atonal riffing or revolved around a static tonal center. These nu-old thrash bands do chord progressions that no '80s band would never do. It's tough to explain, but old-school thrashers will feel the discrepancies instantly.

Another big difference is sound. The production is too crisp and the guitar tones are too big now to feel like old-school thrash. Much of that vibe came from bad production and cheap guitar tones, which just don't happen in today's climate of scientific metal production.

Objectively, none of this is bad. Melody can be good, and good production can be good. In fact, they make this album enjoyable. The riffs are catchy, and the drumming (by Faust of Aborym/Emperor) is lively and effective. The vocals are faceless, but I've heard worse. "Godbeater" is the highlight, a ten-minute melodic monster that's far removed from '80s thrash. Once I stopped expecting a thrash album (which was tough, given the title), I enjoyed this a lot more.

You can find it in Europe at Plastic Head; those in the US might have to wait a few days beyond today's release date for distros to carry it.

Dead to This World enlists ex-Gorgoroth drummer for new album

From the Dead to This World camp comes this missive:

Following the departure of Mord and Goatpromoter Lava (ed. note: what a name!) due to other commitments, Norwegian black metallers Dead to This World have announced that Kvitrafn (Jotunspor, ex-Gorgoroth) would be taking over drumming duties for the recording of the new album.

Dead to This World began as a solo project of Iscariah (Necrophagia, ex-Immortal). It released a three-track demo in 2005, which Iron Pegasus re-released on 7", and a rather ripping split 7" on Hearse with Norwegian thrashers Audiopain, the DTTW side of which you can hear below. For more information, see the band's MySpace.

Dead to This World - Speak when Spoken to

Koldbrann - Moribund

Moribund
Skvadron

Twilight Vertrieb
2006


Even for black metal, Koldbrann is grim. I saw this Norwegian band play recently, and by the end of its set, the crowd was in a dazed stupor. Illuminated by a few flaming torches, the band played mostly without stage lights. Dark (literally) and uniform in texture, songs buzzed and droned, seemingly oblivious to the crowd. As I said, grim.

Thus, Moribund is an apt name. It's my first experience with recorded Koldbrann, and it's just as joyless as the live show. That's not to say it's bad. Sometimes you want music that feels like slogging through mud with freezing rain. For that, this is perfect.

Adding to the impenetrability are the mostly Norwegian lyrics, with two songs in English. The production is natural and dirty, with unusually warm bass lines. Vocalist Mannevond (who's done time in Urgehal as a bassist) turns in a functional performance, as does the rhythm section. Guitars are the focus here. The riffs are full of spicy modulations and eerie, jangly parts, though I'm hard-pressed to remember any since the songs are so relentlessly grim.

Moribund is a grower and a downer, both in a good way. It's available on double LP from Hells Headbangers and on CD from Twilight.

Icon-Eight - Thrash the Moment!

Torn Asunder

Self-Released
2006



Icon-Eight is Mactabilis from Bergen, Norway. In Thrash the Moment! he's concocted four cuts of raw, vicious thrash/death. The bio and title both reference '80s thrash, but the sheer ferocity and occasional blastbeat tip this EP closer to death metal.

Whatever you call it, it rocks. The production is gritty but solid, with a black metal-esque buzzing atmosphere. In fact, Mactabilis' voice is sometimes reminiscent of a pitched-down Abbath. Bjørnar Nilsen of Black Hole Generator handles mixing, with mastering by Herbrand Larsen of Enslaved. This is a great start for this project, and I'm eager to hear more. For various ways to get this EP, go here.

I, Her Candane reviews

My reviews of I's Between Two Worlds and Her Candane's No Battle! are up at Stylus and Metal Injection, respectively.

Borknagar review

My review of Borknagar's Origin is now up at Stylus.

Next Life - Electronic Violence

Also on Cock Rock Disco is Next Life, who sound like if Zombi and Fantomas got together to score Zelda. With this Norwegian duo, you get the cinematic synths of the former and the ADD of the latter. Songs burst into bloom with proggy odd meters and power chords, only to jump cut to the crystalline notes of the mushroom princess giving you advice.

Video game music doesn't get much better than this. The synth work on Electronic Violence is gloriously '80s, full of pure, relatively uneffected tones. In lesser hands, these would sound cheap, but these guys have the video game vibe down cold. Even the song titles are thusly suggestive: "Under Water," "Blue Stone, "Red Stone," "Transparent Stone." "Video game music" might seem like a diss, but I mean it as high praise. All these guys need now is a drummer. Seeing one keyboardist and one guitarist live is kind of "press play" for me. Maybe it's tough to find a drummer to play 8-bit rhythms.

Next Life - The Mirror
Next Life - Vanished

Pick this up on CD at Cargo or as a download at Cock Rock Disco.

Writing Roundup - Jotunspor, Black Elk, A.C.T., Kylesa

My review of the new Black Elk is up at Stylus. It's a hot, nasty slice of noise rock straight from the '90s.

Over at Metal Injection, I've reviewed the new Jotunspor, A.C.T., and Kylesa. Norwegian black metal/dark ambient, Swedish prog rock, and Southern sludge metal - all good stuff. Enjoy!

Black Hole Generator - Black Karma

Black Hole Generator is a two-man band from Bergen, Norway, consisting of Bjørnar Nilsen and Dreggen, whose collective resumes include Grimfist, Aeternus, Deathcon, and Vulture Industries. Black Karma (on Ars Magna) is the band's debut EP, with five tracks of menacing industrial black metal.

Of course, the first reference point for this kind of stuff is Anaal Nathrakh. But while there is some resemblance with the programmed drums and apocalyptic vibe, BHG is slightly more atmospheric and less about bludgeoning. To be sure, there are tons of blastbeats, and the vocals range from scathing shrieks down to lower, almost grand singing. But the EP has little production touches throughout, like piano notes here and there and even some cello, that place the blasting in sharp relief.

The riffs here absolutely rule. The first time I heard "The Age of Anxiety," I practically broke my neck headbanging to the riff at :38. It's kind of like Ministry on black metal steroids. The production is more hi-fi than the usual black metal murk, but it's perfect for the material, retaining bite in the guitars, while leaving space for the drums to have impact.

Black Hole Generator - The Age of Anxiety

This is one of the most well-developed debuts I've heard in a while. While brief, the EP reflects a singular vision, down to the sharp artwork and the vivid lyrics ("Scarlet skies open wide / Rain! / Cleansing pain wash flesh from bone / Cold dark matter shed no tears"). Evidently a full-length is on the way, so be a cool kid and get on this before everyone else does. To pick this up, email Ars Magna.

Keep of Kalessin - Armada

Note to black metal bands: when playing live, turn down your damn kicks! We know you can play blastbeats. We came to hear some cold atmosphere, not a never-ending barrage of kick drums. If we wanted that, we'd go hear techno. I recently saw Keep of Kalessin open for Satyricon, and though the performance was fine, the mix was abysmal, burying the guitars amid the kicks.

Thankfully, Armada (on Tabu) sounds much better. In fact, it probably sounds too good for black metal purists. I have little patience for "must sound like shit to be kvlt," so I dig the crisp and clear production. What I've heard of Keep of Kalessin's previous work was well-done, but frankly didn't leave much of an impression. Armada steps up not only the production but also the songwriting; now there are some actual melodies and memorable songs.

Keep of Kalessin - Crown of the Kings
Keep of Kalessin - Winged Watcher

The album is amazingly shredding, though not through solos. Guitarist Obsidian C. (who's toured with Satyricon, whose Frost drummed on 2003's Reclaim EP) sticks mostly to rhythm work. However, he's smoking at it. His speed and precision is very thrashy; it's like if Slayer played black metal. That, plus the production, makes Armada not very atmospheric, but quite hard-hitting. Add some clean tones, tastefully minimal keyboards, and a nice digipak, and you have one sharp package. Pick it up

@ Candlelight
@ Moribund

Urgehal - Goatcraft Torment

"This is Satanic black metal," hisses Trondr Nefas to kick off Urgehal's new album, Goatcraft Torment (on Agonia Records). Well, no shit, Sherlock. I suppose there's some Christian black metal out there, but the vast majority of black metal inverts its crosses. But while Urgehal doesn't break any new ground, the band offers a solid, surprisingly mature take on the template.

I say "surprisingly" for a number of reasons. First, the band is coming off perhaps the silliest album cover ever made. The lyrics are also a bit ludicrous. Criticizing metal lyrics is like picking on blind children, but you invite that if you bang on about how Satanic you are. There's quite a lot of "I am Satanic and will kill you." There are some songs in Norwegian, which get a free pass from this monoglot. Then there's "Risus Sardonius," which features gems like

I inflict her virgin anal tract
Which I pierce with the same intense pain
I caused upon myself
The lust in me grows strongly now
I slit her throat and gain control

If I install AdSense and sheisty ads appear here, blame Urgehal.

Comedic aspects aside, this album is quite enjoyable, due to very effective guitar work. The riffs are catchy and vary in speed, which make the songs instantly identifiable. There's some of the obligatory blasting, but there are also a lot of thrash and midpaced grooves, some of which are downright heavy, like in "Dødsmarsj Til Helvete." In terms of dissonance and "twistiness," some of the riffs have a Slayer vibe, which is always a good thing - "Gathered Under the Horns" has one of the most evil riffs I've heard in a while.

Urgehal - Dødsmarsj Til Helvete
Urgehal - Gathered Under the Horns

"Et Steg Nærmere Lucifer" has awesome, menacing melodies draped over driving riffs - but due to its length, you'll have to hear it for yourself. Get it

@Interpunk
@Amazon.co.uk

Vreid - Pitch Black Brigade

I recently saw Vreid open for Enslaved. They killed it, as did Enslaved. The pairing was apt, as both play black metal but stray from the blueprint - Vreid with rock influences and Enslaved with prog leanings. CD's are expensive here in Germany (for this album, I paid 15 euro, which is considered cheap), but Vreid put on such a good show that I had to get Pitch Black Brigade (on Tabu).

Evidently, Vreid is pronounced "Vrite." Beyond that, I honestly don't know much about this Norwegian group. The band has three ex-members of Windir, whose singer Valfar died of hypothermia in January 2004. Descriptions of Windir typically include the words "folk music" and "symphonic," so Vreid would be a significant departure from that.

Basically, Vreid is about 60% black metal and 40% rock. Of course, later Darkthrone and later Satyricon come to mind, and if you go back far enough, Hellhammer. But while Darkthrone channels Discharge and Satyricon, I dunno, The White Stripes (see "K.I.N.G." on Now, Diabolical), Vreid's rock is more like Motörhead or NWOBHM.

This isn't just "blackened rock," though. Vreid definitely keeps that cold black metal feeling, just sometimes with rock and thrash riffs underneath. And there are some damn fine riffs here, particularly on "Left to Hate" and "Our Battle." But what's with the silly electronic intro to "Hengebjørki"? Sub-bass booms have no business on a black metal album. But for the most part, the record is raw and rocking yet clear enough to escape the usual lo-fi blur.

Vreid - Left to Hate
Vreid - Our Battle

There's also a nice black-and-white video for "Pitch Black."



The more I hear this album, the more I like it. Check it out

@ The End
@ Blackmetal.com