2004 wrap up on Black/Pagan Metal (and its ilk)

[Henrik Main]

Thoughts on some 2004 BM/PM releases:

1349 - Beyond The Apocalypse: Probably the best Norwegian BM release in 2004. Extremely cold, with riffs that are impossible not to worship. Frost's drumming is INCREDIBLE, the production top notch, and it manages to sound both fresh and creative. A monument.

Azrael - Into Shadows Act II : Through Horned Shadows Glimpse: Boring, with few interesting moments. Why this album was hyped and praised so much is beyond me. If the songs had been about 50% shorter, I would've liked it better.

Behexen - By The Blessing Of Satan: I won't stop ranting about this one till everyone of you has checked it out. Raw, primitive, cold black metal that is sharp as a razor, and with KILLER thrashy-sort of riffs. A bit similar to 1349 - a punch in the face just the way you like it.

Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God: It may technically be a 2003 release, but I don't really care. It sucks. I may be too immature or something, but I can't understand what's so good about this. Dissonance = uncool, unless you're Immolation or a handful of other bands. Next.

Borknagar - Epic: Disappointing, but still a pretty good release. The dissonance and organ wankery has gone out of hand, and I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. Less prog, more epic, thanks.

Darkthrone - Sardonic Wrath: A GOOD record. Picks up from where "Hate Them" left, but it has a more old school feel to it. Some songs remind me of the good old days around the "Under A Funeral Moon" era. The best since "Total Death", by far. Check it out, you might be in for a positive surprise.

Deathspell Omega - Si Mvmentvm Recvires, Circvmspice: I thought this would be too grim for my likings, but it's in fact a VERY intricate and interesting piece of ambitious black metal. A pleasant surprise.

Drudkh - Autumn Aurora: Yes, I'm aware of the fact that it in fact is a 2003 record, but still. It's pretty damn good in places, especially "Glare Of Autumn", which is fantastic, and the jolly piece that is "Sunwheel". It's a very peaceful piece of pagan metal, I find. Super relaxation music.

Enslaved - Isa: First listen disappointed me, especially the vocal delivery, but newer Enslaved efforts have had a tendency to grow on me. Will give it more listens before I write it off.

Finntroll - Nattfödd: Very good stuff if you're into what Finntroll has going. Their new vocalist delivers the goods (both on record and live), and the band sounds as tight as ever. Semi-epic goodness.

To be continued.

 

[Demilich]

Thoughts on some 2004 BM/PM releases:
Finntroll - Nattfödd: Very good stuff if you're into what Finntroll has going. Their new vocalist delivers the goods (both on record and live), and the band sounds as tight as ever. Semi-epic goodness.
To be continued.

Man, I keep forgetting this was a 2004 release 'cause it was all the way back in the summer or something. It's awesome \m/ I need to buy the full album, all I got was the Trollhammaren EP and MP3s of the album.

 

[J.]

I don't know, but I actually enjoy the Trollhammaren EP more than the full length.

 

[MFJ]

Azrael - Into Shadows Act II : Through Horned Shadows Glimpse

yes.

 

[Black Winter Day]

You guys forgot the new Tears For Fears.

 

[Erik]

and you forgot to write "At this point, why not? We are FUCKED." under your new sig image.

 

[Black Winter Day]

Yeah... the whole motif of communism ----> Mario thing sorta ran dry. But there's always Zelda masturbation humor to bring things back up.

 

[NAD]

It did NOT run dry, it is still funny.

I keep forgetting about Finntroll, that album rocks.

 

[Henrik Main]

Leviathan - Tentacles Of Whorror: Shows a lot of potential, but there are some filler here and there, and it does drag on for quite a bit. Songs like "Heir To The Noose Of Ghoul" and "Vexed And Vomit Hexed" are to be worshipped, however.

Mayhem - Chimera: I expected it to be far worse, so you can call it a positive surprise. However, it isn't more than an OK album, apart from the intense and fast "Rape Humanity With Pride", which is 5:41 of brilliance, featuring one of the beast leads of 2004. If only every single one of the tracks could be like this. "Whore" is actually very good too, when thinking about it.

Nehemah - Requiem Tenebrae: A bit of a bore, except for the epic brilliance that is "In The Mist Of Orion's Sword". I prefer "Shadows From The Past" by a mile.

Ragnarok - Blackdoor Miracle: I'm a fan of the band, but this was just "nah". The production is NOT suitable (Abyss studio), and neither the killer riffs found in "In Nomine Sathanas" or the cold, grim feel of "Nattferd" is to be found here.

Taake/Amok - Split: It most probably would've been cool if Høst/Taake simply hadn't just re-recorded old songs from Thule's "Omfavnet Av Svarte Vinger" EP. I expected it to be better.

Vomitory - Primal Massacre: Blackened death that actually is good. If you're in the mood for some easily digested extreme metal action, look no further.

Xasthur - Telepathic With The Deceased: He probably has released about 250 other Xasthur records in addition to this, but this is the only I've heard. It didn't make me want to check out more of his stuff, to put it that way.

 

[NAD]

I just snorted and had to conceal laughter in plain sight of 4 coworkers, Erik is totally dominating the funny caption pictures lately.

 

[Henrik Main]

Nasheim - Evighet/Undergång: To be frank, I didn't expect this to be "all that", mainly because I knew it consisted of demo/promo material only. Luckily, it turned out to be a very positive surprise. The first track, "Ändlös Flykt Från Tiden" is extremely strong, with several layers of instruments and effects creating a beautiful, pagan-like atmosphere. A mid-tempo epic affair, reminding me of what Falkenbach and/or Drudkh would have sounded like if they had taken a more black metal approach. Props to the bass guitar on this track. "Allt Svartnar" is a faster and darker song, and it actually managed to make my arm hairs stand up during the incredibly emotional ending where Erik Grahn, the vocalist, guitarist and drum programmer, screams out "allt svartnar" ("Everything turns dark") in a very convincing way. It also includes an acoustic interlude that sounds a lot like Satyricon's "Min Hyllest Til Vinterland" (from "Dark Medieval Times"). The next couple of tracks, "Undergång" and "Evighet", are both very solid, and should please even the most demanding black metal afficianado. The closing track, the Bathory cover "Blood Fire Death", is a worthy farewell to Quorthon, and is definitely one of the record's absolute highlights.

Verdict: Good musicianship (finally someone who actually makes the bass sound audible and spends more than 20 minutes programming the drums), above average production, and interesting songwriting. There aren't many weak points here, apart from the fact that the tracklist and lyrics are written in norse runes - if you want to include the tracklist and lyrics, you might as well make them readable - and that you get the "Haven't I heard this before?" feeling when listening to the opening of "Undergång". Still, these are only minor complaints. Nasheim's "Evighet/Undergång" should be checked out by all fans of black and pagan metal.

 

[Hell Mike]

Henkie boy, you are from Norway, runes should be no problem for you

 

[Henrik Main]

Henkie boy, you are from Norway, runes should be no problem for you

It wasn't that big a problem, but it did take me some time to decipher the lyrics, I must admit. I used to have a handy "Rune dictionary", but I can't seem to find it.

 

[Henrik Main]

...or you could have wimped out and visited our eminent website and gotten the lyrics in plain ISO-8859-1 letters

I thought wimps had to leave the hall, so I spent some time clumsily deciphering them instead. Only to find they were pretty standard

 

[MajestikMøøse]

From Nasheim and Taake I've learned a good deal of the runes and their phonetic equivalents but once in awhile I see something that throws me off. Now if only I knew Swedish and Norwegian.......

 

[Hell Mike]

the runes not present in the latin alphabet are generally the tricky ones and the other way around, such as th and how to write åäö, and EVERYONE nisses the ng-rune when using 'em

 

[MajestikMøøse]

yeah, I wasn't aware of the -ng one until I saw how you spelt Undergång

 

[spaffe]

Two 2004 releases of note that I forgot to mention earlier:

Horna - Viha Jaa Vikate (MLP)
A lot better compositions and way more interesting than their earlier stuff which is best described as "meh". Pretty groovy mid-paced black metal featuring a great (new btw) vocalist with a deep guttal rasp instad of the earlier shriek.

Ljå/Koldbrann - Split (EP)
I bought this on a whim and had heard neither bands, though I've been intrested in hearing at least Koldbrann for some time, anyway, it turned out to be a rock solid release. Ljå's song reminds me of Nattens Madrigal albeit with a production a bit less thin, and you can really tell these guys are no beginners when it comes to black metal. The riffing is pretty melodic and the rather long song provided on their side of the split is varied and very well written.
Koldbrann's contribution is heavier with a main riff which forces my head into a back-and-forth motion. It has a shift in tempo which creates an awesome mood with the vocalists dedicated raspy effort on top. The production is actually pretty warm (by black metal standards) but has a raw dissonance perfect for this type of song.

So, now that you've read my crappy little reviews, go get them

 

[Hell Mike]

Has Angantyr - Sejr been mentioned? It's great

 

[MFJ]

I don't know, but I actually enjoy the Trollhammaren EP more than the full length.

I obtained a copy of the Nattfodd/Trollhammaren 3000 limited digipack this summer, I must say it was an excellent idea. Anyone have one of these? From what I understand, they are a little hard to come across already.