Norway’s Bizarrekult are back with their third album, Alt som finnes, with the band remaining intact with Adv on drums, Bizarre on guitars, bass, vox, D on vocals, and Ignat Pomazkov on guitars. I reviewed their sophomore effort in 2023, Den tapte krigen, and I really enjoyed their approach to black metal as well as combining some classic Celtic Frost moments into their sound. Alt som finnesn is no different.

Eight songs in 42 minutes, “Hun” opens the album, and at under three minutes, it is the shortest song on the album. Starting with some soft guitar work, the music bursts forward at the one-minute mark. Keep those headphones lower than normal at this point. The cold guitar riffing is blistering, and it is played with emotive tendencies. You can play brutal cold music, but still have it played with emotion. Meshuggah comes to mind re: that aspect of cold and calculated songs still played with emotion.

Bizarrekult’s black metal never truly gets into blast beat territory, but this song hammers home the metal and never lets up until “Blikket hennes” is next, but that does not really happen right away. The song starts with a super-fast part, then slows down with some bass guitar thumping and black metal vocal screaming. These slower moments allow the listener to catch their breath. Then the speed returns until the two-minute moment with the atmospheric slowdown, and I really dig the double bass moments, as they cut through the ambience. This is where those Celtic Frost moments enter. Think the sounds of Monotheist, with those cold moments, that conjure up emotions. This moment does that quite excellently. I am glad these moments stay the course for quite some time, allowing a guitar solo to come right in, along with the goth-like spoken vocal moments. Terrific and a little folksy as well. I love this song.

“Drøm” has a mesmerizing opening guitar riff and drum pattern. Oft-kilter, yet it works. This pounding technique slows down, then speeds up again. It is quite hypnotic, almost a little like a metronome. The black metal riffage is excellent and catchy. It can be hard to do with black metal, but Bizarrekult are unafraid to stick with a catchy riff, and this allows that riff to become more memorable. More pained vocals return on the slower section as the drums slow down and allow more atmosphere. Spoken word vocals are whispered as if being cast from a soft billow of fog. It is evident that the band has worked quite hard to increase the emotion and atmosphere on their third album.

“Tomhet” ends the song. Remember how the album opened? Well, this is how the end song begins. Soft and quiet guitars before the raging black metal comes bursting through our eardrums at the one-minute mark. Excellent mid-paced double bass drum action and vocals to make your ears bleed. The song further slows with ambience and spoken word vocals. This moment comes across as bluesy with the drums, and all is played as if you were in a lounge club. Soft, emotionally crafted, and yes the raging black metal returns, for a slight moment. The song further slows down, ending in atmospherics.

Alt som finnes is Bizarrekult’s most expansive release to date. From the increased atmospherics to the ambience and spoken word vocal tones, there is beauty in their harshness. The harsher black metal moments are expertly crafted and mixed in with all the other moments, continuing to make the band stand out from the heap of black metal bands that keep getting vomited forth, day in and day out.

The production is crisp, clean, and sounds great. The album cover looks to have some jawa’s on there, from Star Wars, conjuring their next prank. Bizarrekult continues to get better and better – excellent album!

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