Koldbrann - Stigma: Pa kant med livet

Interesting Norwegian black metallers Koldbrann released an EP earlier this year, containing three new songs, a re-recording of an old song previously only available on a split from 2004, and a Bathory cover. And wouldn't you know, quality is better than quantity. "Stigma: Pa kant med livet" is easily one of the releases of 2008 you should check out if you're at all interested in modern black metal.

First track "Opium Fields Forever" sounds like Khold meets Shining V, with a touch of "Rebel Extravaganza"-Satyricon in the mix. Next up is "Intifada", which is faster and has a bit of the punk vibe from newer Darkthrone-releases, only good. The next two tracks offer up some interesting drum arrangements and atmospheric guitar acrobatics, but they don't match up to the ferocity of the first two tracks. Finishing off this EP is a cover of Bathory's "Bestial Lust", and what a great cover it is! If I was to say anything negative about it, it would be that Koldbrann are a little too good at playing theit instruments; I do miss the feeling of the the drums trying to run away from the guitars in the original track.

All in all a solid EP worth 7/10 that leaves me wanting more, and with two years since their last full-length album, I'm hoping this was just a taste of what is soon to come.

Draconis Infernum - Death In My Veins

If you ask me, Asia will most likely be where the next wave of truly great black metal bands will emerge from. China has a very strong underground scene with bands like Ritual Day, Yngizarm and Zuriaake, Indonesia has a couple of interesting bands, and here is Singapore's own Draconis Infernum. Formed in 2005 as Nihilistic Hate, "Death In My Veins" is their first release.

There are only five tracks, most of them between five and six minutes long. One could argue that it is a bit short for a full length release, but bear in mind that Slayer's "Reign In Blood" clocks in at 28 minutes in total. Quality is always better than quantity, so what about Draconis Infernum - do they deliver quality?

The answer can only be a resounding: hell yes they do! This is five tracks of pure old school melodic black metal (melodic as in there are actual riffs, not just Von-like three-chord songs) delivered with a production worthy any new black metal release. The guitars - arguably the most important part of any black metal song - are as crisp in the mix as you could ever wish for them to be. The producer obviously knew how to use EQ, because the guitars do not sound thin at all, but full and thick, with plenty of bottom end and a nice, thick distortion. There's also a guitar solo or two, which isn't very common in black metal.

The bass adds some welcome extra weight and the drums are magnificent. The kick is precise and crisp, yet has a nice low tone that really makes it feel human and not like a drum machine; the snare doesn't drown, and the best thing of all - the drums don't even sound triggered, not even when blasting at full speed.

The vocals are harsh and brutal, but at the same time perfectly intelligible - think Gaahl's vocals in Gorgoroth and you know what I mean. The lyrics are well written and the English pronounciation is excellent.

The music too sounds a bit like Gorgoroth; listening to the album I was reminded of songs like "Of Ice And Movement" or "Procreating Satan" from "Twilight of the Idols (In Conspiracy With Satan)", but also sometimes of early Enthroned, and there is a little Dark Funeral in there somewhere as well; their songs are melodic yet brutal. The songs are filled with melodic and atmospheric riffs that rival any release this year, as well as several tempo changes. These guys are skilled musicians, there's no doubt about it.

If there is any justice in this world Draconis Infernum will get a chance to spread the word of Satan all over the world, because they really are that good. This release is worth a strong 9/10, without doubt. This is one of the very best black metal releases of 2008, and I can't wait to see what the next album will sound like.

Band link: http://www.myspace.com/draconisinfernum

Deathspell Omega / S.V.E.S.T. - Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum

French acts Deathspell Omega and S.V.E.S.T. (Satanas Vobiscum Et Spiritum Tuo) have combined forces on this split release, which comes as a gatefold LP or two separate MCD's. Deathspell Omega offers us, true to form, a 22 minute long single track without choruses, hooks or any kind of standard song structure. I'm glad to hear that unlike on some other of their releases, the drums are not overwhelming, but very well balanced, letting the guitars break through even the densest walls of blasting drums. Not that there is a lot of that; for most part of the track the tempo is rather slow, with occasional bursts of chaotic drums breaking up the stillness. The guitars switch between beautiful, melodic riffs and harsh dissonant walls of sound, making the track anything but boring despite it's long duration. The vocals are deep and rasping or hissing, which suits the music perfectly.

The production is excellent, dynamic and very well balanced; it never feels like the instruments are competing for space.

I do feel that this might be Deathspell Omega's most approachable release so far. However, it also feels like their most safe release so far, and I hope they don't continue down that path. If you've listened to any kind of ambient or industrial black metal before, this shouldn't be hard to grasp at all. This combined with the fact that the 22 minute track offers a great variation of styles and tempos probably makes this a great place to start for anyone who isn't familiar with Deathspell Omega. This release is worth 8/10 as far as I'm concerned.

S.V.E.S.T. gives us three tracks with a total length just a second shy of 23 minutes. The first thing that strikes you is the production, and it's not because it's good. The sound is tinny and weak, and the guitars sound shrill, with a distortion that sounds cheap. The drums lack depth and power, and the vocals don't stick out, but rather get mixed in with the horribly distorted guitars. There are also keyboards on at least one track, but they leave no lasting impression, since they are more or less only used for simple droning effects.

The music is more straightforward than that of Deathspell Omega, but paradoxically it's much harder to listen to, because of the poor production. We do move more towards a kind of old school black metal riffing here, with parts that are more of a harsh ambient style, all interspersed with the occasional embarrasingly bad guitar solo part that does nothing more than add to the already schizophrenic feeling of the music.

I will give S.V.E.S.T. a 4/10. Had the production been better and the guitar solo parts been cut from the track, I would have given it a 6/10.

Band link: http://www.myspace.com/deathspellomega

Gnaw Their Tongues - Devotion EP

Dutch one-man industrial black metal act Gnaw Their Tongues have released an impressive 16 albums, EPs, compilations and singles in just two years. I first heard them on the bleak and impressively evil-sounding "Dawn Breaks Open Like A Wound That Bleeds Afresh" EP released last year, and I'm glad to report that they haven't changed much.

"Devotion" is a four-track EP with a total playing time of almost 27 minutes, with none of the tracks shorter than five and a half minutes. This is a good thing, since the ritualistic industrial harshness needs some time to build up to be as effective as possible. If I were to say anything bad about "Devotion", and about Gnaw Their Tongues in general, it would be that all of the songs on both "Devotion" and "Dawn..." follow pretty much the same song structure. They start off slowly, with dark, haunting samples and noises that after a couple of minutes (usually) give way to a barrage of drums and harsher sounds, before phasing out the drums and going back to a less harsh sound for the final part of the track.

This, however, does not make the listening experience any less rewarding. Gnaw Their Tongues is a band like none other. I guess if Abruptum actually had talent they would have sounded something like this, and I do hear a slight resemblance to MZ.412 at times, but Gnaw Their Tongues doesn't copy anyone. Their droning, ritualistic black industrial art is an altogether unique experience, and one I enjoy immensly. I am a big fan of this kind of music, and I don't hesitate giving this release a solid 9/10, and I hope that Mories continues to release albums this bleak for a very long time.

Band link: http://www.myspace.com/gnawtheirtongues

Absolute of Malignity - Absolute of Malignity

Japanese black metal band Absolute of Malignity did what so many bands did back in the day and still do - they didn't wait for a record company to sign them, they released their debut album on their own, this time through Satanic Propaganda. In the case of Absolute of Malignity though, I can see why no record company would want to sign them. I'm not one who thinks that black metal needs to be polished and have a crisp and clear production (I love "Under A Funeral Moon", for instance), but this is verging on the ridiculous.

The guitars sound like they were recorded using the cheapest amp available, with a 4" speaker. There is no bottom end at all, and the distortion is shrieky and shrill. The vocals are unintelligeble, the drumming repetitive and boring and the songs are between six and eight minutes long, but easily feel twice as long. Once in a while there is an interesting riff or rhythm, but it never takes long before it's all lost in the sea of mediocrity that makes up the vast majority of this album. I will give this album a 3/10 for the effort, but it is very unlikely I'll ever listen to it again.

Angst Skvadron - Flukt

Being the brainchild of Trondr Nefas (here using the pseudonym T.B) of Kvist (one of my three favorite black metal bands of all time) and Urgehal fame (as well as many other bands), you would not expect Angst Skvadron to sound like your typical run-of-the-mill black metal band, and you would be correct. "Flukt" is a trippy journey indeed, a psychedelic avant-garde black metal ride into outer space.

The album starts out with a very boring intro that's not much more than some Space Invaders-like sounds and a few filter sweeps on a keyboard. Once you've heard it you'll always skip ahead to track two when listening to the album again, believe me. Fortunately track two, "Silent Night, Alien Night" is a lot better and starts out with a nice syncopated drum rhythm accompanying an eerie guitar arpeggio before going into a black 'n roll part. Good midtempo stuff that picks up towards the end and leads into the third track, "A Song To The Sky", where a haunting keyboard makes an appearance as the guitar again plays some eerie arpeggios.

The rest of the album continues mostly in the same vein, with inventive midtempo songs mixing progressive guitars with keyboards, but still keeping one foot firmly planted in the black metal soil. The best track is in my opinion the very last one (not counting the outro), "Beyond Andromeda", where T.B's vocals are especially haunting as he chants the title of the song over and over as the song fades out into the infinite vacuum of space.

"Flukt" is a good album that I will return to many times, especially when I get a tired of the harsher old school black metal. This is a little out there, but if you like Kvist and early Arcturus you might like Angst Skvadron too. I think this album is worth a very solid 7/10, and I hope to hear more from this interesting band in the future.

Band link: http://www.myspace.com/angstskvadron

Old Wainds - Death Nord Kult

Hailing from Murmansk, Russia, grim black metallers Old Wainds are no newcomers to the black metal scene. Having started out back in 1995, they are practically veterans, and you can hear that on "Death Nord Kult", their 2008 full length release. While some of the songs have a youthful recklessness to them, they never derail, but manage to stay on track and arrive at their final destination.

The album starts out with the blasting "Storm Whip", a track which bears Old Wainds' trademark of grim, old school black metal filtered through a more mature understanding of where the genre has come since it's inception. The production is overall very good, with the drums clearly audible and dynamic even when drummer Izbor is pummeling out blastbeats; the guitars are clear even when severely overdriven and the bass is audible but nothing special.

Every now and then, most notably on "Storm Whip" and the album's third track, "Cruel Black Dead", Old Wainds mix their black metal with a heavy dose of techno-thrash in a very enjoyable way that makes me think of "Kill 'Em All" clad in a black metal shroud, or something that Swedish black metal gods Nifelheim would record. Track five offers us a little bit of the very popular black 'n roll sound made famous by bands like Satyricon and Khold, but Old Wainds soon returns to furious, classical black metal riffing.

The vocals are in Russian, which means I can't understand a word of them, but they are delivered in the regular shrieky fashion, and although their meaning is unknown to the listener who doesn't speak Russian, they do add to the atmosphere in a most suitable way.

The overall impression of "Death Nord Kult" is one of satisfaction, but with the aftertaste of knowing that it could have been something better. I can't quite put my finger on it, but after listening to the album for a few weeks, I notice that I no longer make an active choice to listen to it; I only listen to it when it appears in my playlist. However, when I do listen to it, I am satisfied. I will give "Death Nord Kult" a 6/10 for an album that while enjoyable won't be remembered as anything extraordinary.

Band link: http://www.myspace.com/oldwainds

Iskald - Revelations of Reckoning Day

Norwegian band Iskald return with their new album "Revelations of Reckoning Day", and what an album it is. Iskald serve up nine tracks of blackened death metal with hints of thrash here and there. I am constantly reminded of the monumental Dissection and their use of (dis)harmonies to create a desired atmosphere in their songs; Iskald do it too, and the guitar moves effortlessly between distinct staccato riffing and eerie arpeggios. Occasionally we are treated to an acoustic part, but do not fret, Iskald soon bring the distortion back in the game. The riffs are overall very good, and I never once felt bored listening to the album.

The drumming is good (in today's black metal scene it has to be) and drummer Aage provides the perfect backbone for the music, whether it be blasting tornados of kick drums or a steady four-beat. It should be noted that speed freaks need not bother; while "Revelations of Reckoning Day" by no means heads into doom metal territory, it's not really "Panzer Division Marduk" either. Most of the songs switch between a catchy midtempo beat and a faster double-time.

The lyrics deal mostly with the subject of doomsday, which is evident in song titles such as the opening track "Ruin of Mankind", "Endtime" and the last track on the album, "Dommedag" (doomsday in Norwegian).

I will give "Revelations of Reckoning Day" a solid 8/10; while not an instant classic like Dissection's "Reinkaos", it is an album that you will thoroughly enjoy, now as well as ten years from now.

Band link: http://www.iskald.com/
http://www.myspace.com/iskald

Welcome to Nordic Wrath

Nordic Wrath is a blog focused on one thing and one thing only: black metal. You won't find any posts about my personal life, politics, sports - nothing but pure black metal. I am doing this out of the love I have for this genre of music. That is one reason; the other is to try and open the eyes (or rather ears) of those who have not yet immersed themselves in the whirling maelstrom of chaos we call black metal. But enough about this blog, time to write some reviews.

Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam,

- Sweden, dec 15 2008