Here is some fall of 2019 black metal I’m just now getting to, and this one is worth it for the band’s veteran Norwegian black metal line up alone: Vocalist ‘Vicotnik’ (Dodheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, Strid) , guitarist ‘Haavard’ (ex Ulver, ex Satyricon), bassist ‘Cerberus’ (Dodheimsgard), and drummer ‘Myrvoll’ (Dodheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, Nidingr, ex Aura Noir). Phew. Talk about a supergroup.
At the forefront of the group’s sound is an expectedly Dodheimsgard/ Ulver/ Satyricon/Ved Buens Ende influenced, slightly industrialized black metal vortex. It’s delivered with a clean modern production and driven by Vicotnik’s crazed vocals that pull from his past projects including feral shrieks, monkish cleans and everything in between.
It’s a shame this is only 4 songs and 20 minutes, as this crew have some album of the year potential at this rate. The Kverlertak sounding opening track “Den ensomme død” has a vitriolic punk sneer, while second track “Drukkenskapens kirkegård”, has a more frosty black metal tremolo picked gait that’s black metal perfection, as is the biting and some times Shining ish somber hue of “Vitnesbyrd” where the old guard line up shows the entire scene how it’s done.
Closer “Blodets hvisken” shows Dold Vorde Ens Navn, which translates to Hidden Name/To Hide Our Name, won’t be hidden for long, with a deeper varied arrangement of the traditional black metal tropes rendered with utterly perfect precision and just a hint of unhinged introspection.
Can’t wait to hear what comes next from this supergroup personified.
