Nidrosian Black Metal: A brief introduction – Part One

Nidrosian?  Who?  What?  Where?  OK, let’s start with the basics.

Nidaros, Niðarós or Niðaróss, was the medieval name of Trondheim when it was the capital of Norway’s first Christian kings. The settlement was founded in 997 as a trading post and served as the capital of Norway from the Viking Age until 1217.^[1]

Most black metal fans would recognise the city’s iconic cathedral since it appeared on the cover of Mayhem’s De Mysterious Dom. Sathanas. Yes, the same cathedral that Varg and Euronymous planned (allegedly) to blow up!

To further connect the city with the second wave of black metal, Trondheim is home to both Thorns (formed 1991, and who have black metal royalty in the band in the form of Snorre Ruch, possibly the most influential guitar player in the genre), and Manes (formed 1993 but not really regarded as black metal anymore). 

This article, however, is going to focus on the explosion of black metal that started around the very late nineties, but gained real traction in the early 2000s. 

Nidrosian Black Metal has certainly had a lot of exposure in the past few years and rightly so. It is an intense, if orthodox Scandinavian sound, steeped in ritualistic soundscapes and atmosphere, paying homage to the dark arts in all its forms.  Indeed, the combination of dark, necromantic rituals with a barbarous sonic assault make this sub-genre not only unique but utterly thrilling, and in many ways it reminds me of the buzz of discovering second wave black metal back in 1993.  Furthermore, the link between the second wave and Nidrosian Black Metal is a deliberate one as most bands cite Mayhem as a major influence.  Founder and guitarist of Mare, Nosophoros, stated, in typical second wave fashion, that:

“… our fires were fuelled by the strong desire to create something different than the awkward ‘black metal’ coming out of this country in the late 90s to early 2000s. We wanted to sow our seeds deep in the darkness, where only those who were truly deserving would be able to harvest its fruit.”^[2]

That is not to say that the scene is just a copy of the early second wave sound, if anything Nidrosian Black Metal is a more intense and entrancing experience.  It has distilled the essence of the second wave, sonically and aesthetically, to its purest form to produce an overwhelming journey for the listener.

Some would argue that the scene is still ‘secret’, underground if you will, but I disagree.  Not only has an entire book been produced on the scene^[3], but some bands are available on such mainstream platforms as Amazon and HMV.  Despite this, however, other bands have released material that is available only in CD or tape form, Unbeing, Grenjar, and Slagmaur being examples, and most of the fifty or so albums thus far produced are hard to find and often a bit on the expensive side (I spent a small fortune on the self-titled Morkekunst EP, but since it is the only thing they have ever released, it had to be done.)

Regarding Josh Brown’s book, I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the scene.  My one point of disappointment is best summed up by Josh himself:

“… if you’ve purchased this book, then there is a strong possibility you already know about this amazing Norwegian scene and don’t need an introduction – thus, explanatory text is purposely kept to a minimum in this book.  But if not … I suggest digging deep into the bands found within this book, and let their music do the talking.”^[4]

The problem is that there just isn’t much information about the bands even on the net, and the book missed a golden opportunity to convert new fans and to spread the darkness further, although, to be fair, I guess that wasn’t the point of the book!

The best way to describe Nidrosian black metal is to talk about the mysticism, ritualism, atmosphere, raw aggression, and melody that you find in the material. One can imagine the torture chamber, skulls, inverted crosses, candles, and incense and indeed, most of the bands perform ‘rituals’ during their live sets.  I would say (and I will demonstrate this when I talk about individual bands) that Nidrosian bands, whilst firmly rooted in the past, add something to black metal that has been missing for a long time.  They don’t sound ‘modern’ and the production is generally basic or sometimes non-existent. Some bands’ music is so atmospheric that it sounds like a horror film’s soundtrack, and when used, keyboards/synths are often evil sounding and when mixed with chanting provide a truly terrifying experience.  Most importantly, and again a hark back to the original second wave scene, Nidrosian black metal bands are distinguished by their individuality, despite the high level of incest within the scene.  For example, most musicians play, on average, in four of five different bands and some, Steingrim Torson Brissach for example, played in nine bands!^[5]  Some musicians have also played for bands outside the Nidrosian scene, such as Gorgoroth, Djevel, and even Keep of Kalessin. 

If you want to buy physical products, most bands are released on Terratur Possessions and can be found at Van Records^[6].  Every band I will mention in this article can also be heard on YouTube, so even if other streaming services have ignored them, you can listen to this unholy music, free of charge.  Terratur Possessions has also organised a biennial Nidrosian Black Mass Festival since 2007, which showcases Nidrosian bands in addition to international acts. The festival has historically been held in Trondheim, but NBM IV in 2013 was held in Brussels!

Live on stage these bands often perform some demonic ritual, and the combination of that, the music, dry ice, obligatory corpse-paint, and the dedicated, entrenched audience make each show something otherworldly and unique.  Ultimately, however, for most of us, the best way to describe and immerse yourself into the aesthetics is, as Josh reminds us, to listen to the music that has been released and with that in mind, I shall focus on ten albums/EPs in two articles, to provide a flavour of what this incredible scene has to offer.  At the end of the second article I shall mention all the bands (at least those that I know!) associated with the scene and their releases.  Without further ado, let’s start.

Black Majesty

Black Majesty is the brainchild of one Azazil, (also known as His Black Majesty, Kvitrim, E. Blix, and Maleficus) who plays all instruments as well as handling vocal duties.  He started the band in 2005 and in that time has released Baphe Metis, (Demo, 2007), Ateh Gibor Le’olam Shaitan (Demo #2, also 2007), Seventh King of Edom (EP, 2009), and Aft World Portal (EP, 2018).  When the band play live, a whole host of other Nidrosian musicians join him, such as J. E. Åsli (who also plays with Vemod, One Tail, One Head, Astral Winds, Jammerskrik, and Whoredom Rife (live)).

Luctus (Aka Wraath and Afgrundsprofet) (Mare, Behexen, Beyond Man, Dark Sonority, Darvaza, Fides Inversa, Ritual Death, Celestial Bloodshed, One Tail, One Head, Kaosritual, Whoredom Rife (live), Aptorian Demon (live), Dodsengel (live) and Mispyrming (live)), Nosophoros, (Dark Sonority, Mare, Ritual Death, Saligia, Djevel (live), Pseudogod (live), and Whoredom Rife (live)), ⷚ (Aka Sundli) (Mare, Aptorian Demon, Beyond Man, and One Tail, One Head), and Udeth, (Unbeing, Grenjar, Astern, Morkekunst, Spectral Haze, and High Priest of Saturn).  As you can see, incestuous! 

Seventh King of Edom consists of four songs that are so distorted and echoing that the sound is monstrous – in a good way!  Resembling the pretty poor production of late 80s and early 90s black metal, there is a, well, majestic feel to the EP.  You can hardly hear the drums and there may as well not be a bass, but what an experience.  This is a hidden gem of real, trve, black metal.  The first song, Thus Singeth the Sword of Curse, Key of Truth, is a bombastic, punishing, repetitive song, full of dread and evil intent.  It’s like a perverse dance of death.  It’s an instrumental, but I am sure there are screams and growls buried deep in the unholy mix.  What an opening track, simply awe-inspiring.

Ad Portas Mortis (which means loosely, To the gates of hell), starts in a similar way, but the muddy, sludgy riff swirls around a repetitive two chord synth.  Again the distortion and reverb make this sound like the coming of the apocalypse, it’s doomy, forbidding, and downright scary.  Another instrumental apart from a heavenly choir somewhere in the mix.  Fabulous.

Shemhamphorasch! (The title seems to be a Latinization of the Kabbalistic term Shem HaMephorash, meaning “the explicit name” of God, as opposed to the many descriptive names such as “the Almighty.”)^[7]  is what hell sounds like.  A rumbling, hugely distorted guitar lurches over a squealing metallic howl, the stereo vibrates, the production god-awful, and all the while I am imagining the cover of Marduk’s Opus Nocturne.  I can’t imagine a more evil music, and rather than ‘God’ this has to be a musical description of the Devil, truly excellent.

We finish with From the Kingdoms of Edom, Come Ye Forth! which starts with another bombastic, repetitive, two chord riff.  You can hear the drums now, pounding away supporting the riff.  A vocal is in there somewhere but lost in the murk.  The riff changes from the lower end to the higher and a wonderful melody emerges from the gloom to contrast against the dreadful beat of guitar riff and drums.  Another non-existent production but there is tension.  Midway through we get a break of sorts, a new, if possible more evil sounding riff emerges.  The vocals are still there but only the devil knows what they trying to say.  Synth punctuates the building noise, and it begins to feel a bit like early Mortiis.  It’s a wonderful track, carnivalesque almost, but full of fear and horror and what a splendid way to finish this 13 minutes of music.

A truly immersive experience, listen to this EP and marvel how the hell the world doesn’t know about it!  Incidentally, the Sauvastika symbol in the logo should not be confused with a Nazi Swastika (which turns clockwise). Black Majesty is not a political band and has no associations with National Socialism.^[8]

Celestial Bloodshed

Celestial Bloodshed formed by Luctusin 2000 and had all sorts of problems from the get go.  Releasing their demo, Mitt rike (2001), the band immediately had issues; Tiller was imprisoned for one and a half years, and Danilex Hegror left the band.  Nevertheless, Luctus kept going and began to write new material which he rehearsed with Tiller when he was occasionally granted leave from prison.  The band solidified in 2004 with

Steingrim Torson Brissach joining and the legend that is Celestial Bloodshed began.  

Their output was limited to Mitt rike (Demo, 2001), Celestial Bloodshed (EP, 2006), Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed (LP, 2008), and Ω (LP, 2013).  A compilation was released in 2013, Blood Stained Evocations which comprised of tracks taken from the 2006 EP, the split with Urfaust, (2011), and the single The Serpent’s Kiss (2011).  Ω (Omega) is an album recorded in Brygga Studios, Trondheim, Norway 2010, as something of a tribute to the recently departed Steingrim Torson Brissach.  Most of the material had been previously recorded and a whole bunch of familiar voices appeared on it to celebrate and further empower the man’s vision. Hoath Torog (known most famously as the singer of Behexen) and Azazil (of Mare, Black Majesty, etc.) both guest on this record.  Luctus also contributes vocals to the record, and Sarath, who did backing vocals on Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed produced the whole affair.  The list of members of Celestial Bloodshed reads like Nidrosian black metal who’s-who:

Luctus (Aka Wraath and Afgrundsprofet) (As above)

Tiller (Nachash, Omega, ex-Min Kniv, ex-Nephrite)

Steingrim Torson Brissach (Aka. Mehimoloth and R.I.P. 2009) (ex-Castrum Doloris, ex-Grenjar, ex-Selvhat, ex-Kaosritual, ex-Miseria X, ex-Slagmaur, ex-One Tail, One Head, ex-Unbeing, ex-Jammerskrik)

Danilex Hegror

H. Tvedt (Aka Nihilfer) (Dark Sonority, ex-Kaosritual, ex-Ritual Death)

Azazil (Aka Kvitrim) (As above)

Sarath (Sarath, ex-Unbeing, ex-Klompfot)

Ghash (ex-Aptorian Demon, ex-Keep of Kalessin, ex-Mare, ex-Antares Predator)

The band’s music certainly has influences of Mayhem and Impaled Nazarene as some have noted, but their styles is very much their own.  Yes, it’s closer to second-wave black metal than the newer, more progressive stuff that was all the rage in the early 2000s.  A heady mixture of abrasive, primitive black metal with an unbelievably low-fi production results in music which is pure evil, cold, and unrelenting.  And those vocals!  Steingrim Torson Brissach was magnificent front man, and the unholy shrieks, screams, howls, rasping, and at the same time, haunting.  Quite brilliant.

Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed starts with an Intro of church bells, rattling chains, a possessed demon whispering an incantation with a grating edge, and an ominous keyboard playing a dissonant, foreboding beat.  The title song is next, a wonderful riff full of old school black metal excellence, the song breaks and we just have the riff, then the entrance of drums and Steingrim Torson Brissach’s horrendous scream.  The track speeds up with blast beats, those possessed vocals, and that repetitive riff build the horror until another break hits us with distorted guitars, vocals from the grave, and the feeling that the end is near.  The last section plays on another repetitive riff but one that develops the song and we end on more blast beats, vocals that tread the line between death and black metal, leading us to a ferocious climax

Sign of the Zodiac bursts into life with an astonishing howl from Steingrim sat against a climbing riff and manic drums.  A song of hatred and thoughts of murder and death, it’s pure second wave black metal.  What sets this apart is Steingrim’s vocals, here is a bloke that means it.  Truth Is Truth, Beyond the God is a ferocious blast of black metal built around that low-fi second wave sound with Steingrim’s growling vocals laid on top.  You would think Mayhem here, but Luctus’ very unique guitar style to gives the song individuality and those drums, driving us onward to hell with no rest.  The demonic screams that Steingrim produces are on another level of excellence, and the best one of all brings us to the end of this truly barbaric attack.  All Praise to Thee starts with an atmospheric swirl of mist and gloom but the song bursts into a vicious riff which just as suddenly stops, and in the breakdown we get the ultimate doom track.  A drum beating the invertible march to hell, guitars, thick and fuzzy screech and wail in endless pain and then Steingrim comes in with chant like vocals, deep, ominous and full of violence – quite a heady concoction. Another breakdown of feedback drenched noise and atmosphere.  You really can imagine the decent into hell.  Chanting and the doom-laden sound give way to blast beats and dissonant guitars.  Again the song breaks down into feedback, ambient nosies, explosions, and from somewhere a squeak, which sounds like a small rodent slowly dying but could be the tightening of some torture instrument.  Gospel of Hate is a one and a half minute blast of pure hate – rather like the furnace of hell being opened.  The lyrics say it all:  I HATE YOU!/Your very existence contaminates my air/I hope you choke on your dreams!/I’ll pray for an atomic salvation/Cleanse the world with FIRE!  The Demon of Old wraps things up with a great old-school riff, clashing drums, and that great vocal.  It ridiculously fast with Steingrim’s vocals again trading that line between death and black metal.  A rip-roaring guitar solo (so rare in black metal), and a break that reduces the whole song to a three tone guitar riff (reminiscent of Black Sabbath on steroids) before a fully distorted riff emerges against an ungodly scream and inevitably the track builds to the final descent into hell – think of Dante’s last circle of Hell and you wouldn’t be too far away.  The whole thing stutters to an end of a guitar being strangled and then silence.  Really, that’s how black metal should sound.

Celestial Bloodshed are a raw, satanic, vicious back metal band whose music is drenched in atmosphere and hatred.  The combination of Steingrim and Luctus reminds me of Euronymous and Dead, but these guys have a style of their own.  Steingrim’s death really did rob us of a brilliant band.  Check this album out:

Enevelde

Enevelde is a one man band created by Brage Kråbøl, a prolific musician who also fronts Misotheist (more of them later), and more recently the ‘family’ band, Kråbøl, which includes his father, Terje, uncle, Stian, (both accomplished Spellemann / “Norwegian Grammy” nominees), and his grandfather, M. Kråbøl who contributes trumpet! (Do check out their 2024 release, Never, which is excellent.)  Wishing to explore a bleak, mid-tempo black metal, Kråbøl, started Enevelde to run alongside his Misotheist project.  To date he has managed to produce something every year since the band’s inception in 2020, namely, Enevelde (LP, 2020), Gravgang (EP, 2021), En gildere død (LP, 2023), and Pandemonium (LP, 2024).

Although a one-man project, invertibly there are some musicians from the Trondheim scene that can be found on the record I want to focus on, the original album, Enevelde. M. Hellem (Manes and Martyra) plays bass and provided the intro for Daukjøttet (which I am reliably informed translates to something like Dead Meat), Nosophoros (Dark Sonority, Ritual Death, Black Majesty (live), Djevel (live), Pseudogod (live), Whoredom Rife (live), ex-Saligia) provides additional guitar.

This is a hypnotising track in which the guitar parts are more complementary to each other and a sense of melancholic dread lingers throughout the track. On Irrgangen (The Blunder?) Kråbøl’s father, Terje Kråbøl,provides drums. K.R (Parfaxitas, ex-Bloodthorn, ex-Mortuis, ex-Noctiluca) can be heard on Forringelse (Deterioration), and F. Løberg (Nexorum) also provides additional vocals.

Kroppens Mani opens the album and is pure second wave of black metal consisting of blistering tremolo riffs and powerful drums that occasionally burst into blast beats. The track breaks down into a two chord riff, supplemented by a second guitar playing a wonderful melodic hook.  It’s hypnotic and powerful and when the drums re-enter the whole thing is one majestic heaven. The two guitar parts interweave, painting a thick atmosphere, full of emotion. The thick bass enhances the darkness, but it’s the ferociously bellowed vocals that truly lifts this song. It is an unsettling yet hypnotic experience, some say with hints of Manii.  Regardless, it’s bloody brilliant.

Again the second track, Forringelse, is based around two chords and two guitars playing melody and the main riff.  Drums alternate between mid-tempo rhythms and blast beats.  The riff is a descending series of chords which promotes a melancholic feeling despite the harshness.  The vocals, again frightening, really lift the song and there are melodies everywhere.  A huge breakdown of only the guitar riff and vocals adds tension and slabs another layer of atmosphere on.  The second guitar enters with some nice tremolo picked melodies and then the drums re-enter to lift the song yet again.  This track is a series of peaks despite being so simple.  The production is pretty low-fi and accentuates the dissonance.  This is cold, icy Norwegian black metal, both raw and bleak. Hypnotic and totally immersive, this is stand out stuff.  However, the track isn’t finished yet and we get another breakdown led by bass and guitar melody/riffing, the vocals and drums explode into this interlude and the track lurches off into another variation of the main riff/melody.  Simple, minimal, yet totally addictive.

The third track Irrgangen, is frantic and blisteringly raw with pounding blast beats mixed with mid-paced sections, it is the drums which propel the track onwards.  The riff is two chords played over and over again at a mid-tempo pace, seemingly at odds with the manic percussive tempo.  A second guitar screams out a high end tremolo piked riff and the way the two guitar parts combine is effective and ominous.  The whole mood of the song is foreboding and malicious and the vocals add an extra dimension of tension and fear.  The atmosphere is so thick you couldn’t cut it with a chainsaw, and when the drums settle into a groovy 4/4 you see hope, but that is dashed by a breakdown of silence and rising feedback which turns into the riff again.  The drums pick up and a new part of the song emerges, doomy, eerie with just a melody simply played against a steady beat.  It doesn’t last long of course, the growls return and the tension picks up, and now the melody feels threatening and the drums take off again as the second guitar smashes in with a full on fuzzy, brutal riff.  Any hope is gone and the claustrophobic atmosphere crushes you.  Melodies abound, but the track is grinding you down with its weight and the Labyrinth is squeezing and suffocating you.  Superb.

The final track, Daukjøttet, brings something different to the album.  It begins with some kind of ethereal atmosphere, weaved by a distant female chant, (M. Hellem?) before the drums burst in with a blistering attack. The guitars are again juxtaposed with each other, crashes chords on the one hand and a tremolo picked melody on the other.  Bags of atmosphere and a raw as hell.  There is an epic feel to this, Emperor-like, but more threatening and chaotic. 

Again the effect is hypnotic and that only broken by a restrained and majestic, melodic guitar solo.  Ending the album on a high, the melodies thicken, driven by blast beats and growling, almost emotional vocals, we glimpse cold, icy landscapes, backed by glorious music.  A true Norwegian song that takes the second wave template and adds to it, leaving us lifted, not defeated.  What a stunner.

A quick word about the art on the cover and inside slip, since they are clearly part of the whole aesthetic.  Norwegian artist, Peder Balke’s Fra Nordkapp (From North Cape), adorns the cover and the inside slip has Frans Hal’s Young Man with a Skull on it, depicting the ‘death beneath the skin’ concept of the 17th Century and a clear illusion to the underlying themes in this album.

Kaosritual

A veritable supergroup of sorts, Kaosritual formed in 2002 were done by 2009 and managed to produce only Rituell Katarsis (Demo, 2004) and Svøpt morgenrød (LP, 2007).  A compilation box set, Vondtoner & Dommedagsprofetier (Boxed set, 2023) comprised of the EP, LP, and four additional tracks, Legion kaos, Kaosritual, Sykdom, and Ild.  The band consisted of Steingrim Torson Brissach (Aka. Mehimoloth and R.I.P. 2009) (As above), Azazil (Aka Kvitrim) (As above), H. Tvedt (Aka Nihilfer)(As above), and Luctus (Aka Wraath and Afgrundsprofet) (As above), and all these musicians played in Celestial Bloodshed at one time or another.  When Steingrim died in 2009, Kaosritual split, but reformed under the name of Dark Sonority with the three surviving members joined by Nosophoros. 

Okay, that’s the bare bone facts, but the reality is that Kaosritual were one of the great black metal bands of all time, and what could have been remains a tantalising thought.  Sure, their sound is firmly rooted in second wave aesthetics, but they took it a whole lot further.  Their live shows saw the stage bedecked with altars, black candles, bells, knives, animal heads, chalices, demonic books, and the musicians themselves were often dressed in monk habits, whilst wearing corpse paint.  This wasn’t just music, this was on another level.  Hyll Satan! screams Steingrim during Djevelpakt og trolldomsmakt which roughly translates into Devil’s pact and witchcraft power (I’m sure that is wrong, so could any Norwegians reading this help me out?  Cheers!), and these guys meant it. 

Svøpt morgenrød is a case in point.  This album is a masterpiece and a masterclass in how to take second wave aesthetics and then some.  We start proceedings with Forbannelse (Curse in English) an atmospheric piece with a evil sounding organ, chanting, distant drums sounding like a funeral procession, and then the explosion of blast beats, tremolo picked guitars and one hell of a scream from Steingrim.  That transitions into a brilliant riff that propels the track and then deep growls emerge from the deep, changing the riff, the rhythm and we get dissonance and technicality.  The old and the new all in one section of music.  I can’t praise the main riff of this track, a riff that countless new bands would sell their soul for.  A major breakdown hits us four minutes in and now it sounds like chaos; the speed increases, blast beats and incredibly fast guitars, and all the while Steingrim is hollering out those lyrics in that voice.  This is ‘trve’ black metal.  Evig svorne til hov og horn (Forever sworn to hoof and horn)starts where Forbannelse left off.  It’s fast, aggressive, but then changes pace and another sublime riff hits us.  The combination of Steingrim’s voice and those riffs is quite magical and to me encapsulates what Norwegian black metal is all about.  Another breakdown gives us speed and blast beats, screams form the pits of hell, could this be anymore cold and vicious?  Another riff emerges and the pace alternates fast to super fast driven along by that thrilling riff.  The title track, Svøpt morgenrød, is another barnstorming sonic attack.  The riff is progressive and melodic and Steingrim’s vocals contrasts wonderfully with it.  A pause in proceedings gives us a heavily distorted guitar playing a single note riff and Steingrim’s rasping vocals sounding like the rage of the dead. The same distorted guitar begins a slow riff, accompanied by drums and a another, overlaid guitar. Steingrim’s growls which turn to clean vocals sung in that Scandinavian way (think Enslaved), but the sense of doom and horror is real here.  The song staggers to a stuttering pace, barely holding itself together, and then a blistering riff hits you, drums drown you, and we’re off again.  The track is now a hundred miles an hour, tremolo guitars played as they should be, blast beats, and Steingrim sounding like rage incarnate.  It ends with yet another superb riff and ends just as suddenly.  Clocking in just under nine minutes the track never gets boring or staid, instead we get twists and turns, the pace pummelling forward driven by some wonderful drumming and those riffs.  There’s an album’s worth of material in this one track.  Evil, brutal, taking no quarter, this is the stuff of nightmares.  Djevelpakt og trolldomsmakt

starts with a slow, heavily distorted riff, and you could be forgiven to say that it does sound like Freezing Moon by Mayhem, but the homage lasts only a few bars and then a riff that knocks your head off turns up.  Distorted and dissonant, it’s seductive and hypnotic.  Of course it doesn’t last long, drums sweep it up in a cacophony of speed and Steingrim stamps his authority all over it.  The song settles into this confrontation, the riff trying to overpower the drums and vocals but there is no resolution, instead we get a tempo change and another riff, related to but progressing from the original riff.  It’s all heady stuff and a million miles away from the intro of this track.  A more doomy pace emerges and Steingrim hollers out a chant.  This is all superseded by a jagged and fast riff, with blast beats and Steingrim sounding a bit like Attila here.  There’s no shame in the homage, but again it hardly lasts and the song lurches off into another marvellous riff and the drums lay down a steady, and thunderous beat.  The speed and power can’t last and we get a breakdown and another change of tempo, this time slower, reflective, forbidding.  It’s Steingrim’s vocals which lift this section, simply because there’s so much hate in them.  They merge into a chant and then clean vocals, proclaiming, And whoever worships the beast and his image/And receives his name as a mark/Shall look into the abyss/And see its treasures.  Yes, this is the music of the abyss.  The song fades into the same evil sounding organ that started the LP, signifying that there is no escape.  If ever there was a black metal album that glorified in the worship of Satan then this is it. 

What black metal lost when Steingrim died is only hinted at on this album.  as I said before, this satan-drenched, cold, violent album, shot through with melody and moments of beauty, is exactly what black metal should be.

Mare

Formed in 2003, Mare have long been credited as being the band that started Nidrosian black metal.  Not exactly prolific, they have managed to produce Rehearsal (Demo, 2005), Satanic Sabbat Rehearsal (Demo, 2005), Unholy Black Sorcery (Demo, 2006), Throne of the Thirteenth Witch (EP, 2007), Spheres like Death (EP, 2010), Ebony Tower (LP, 2018), and Reh. MMXXII (Demo, 2023).  It should be noted that a compilation, Spheres like Death / Throne of the Thirteenth Witch was released in 2013 and contained most of the tracks from the two EPs and some of the demo stuff as well.  The eight year gap between Spheres like Death and Ebony Tower seem excessive but as we have seen the Nidrosian scene isn’t known for rushing things!  However, it could also be explained because the band’s musicians (who we should be familiar with by now) were also playing and recording in other bands.  Thus, Luctus (Aka Wraath and Afgrundsprofet) (As above), ⷚ (Aka Sundli) (As above), Azazil (aka Kvitrim) (As above), Nosophoros (As above), Ghash (As above) and Unbeing (Aka Udeth) (As above), have all contributed to other albums in the scene during that eight year period. 

Like so many other Nidrosian bands, Mare focus on atmosphere rather than technicality and there is a devotion to satanic themes and adulation.  The atmosphere is created through choir-like vocals, bells, synths, even female harmonies and the effect is a deeply melancholic, evil, and dark oeuvre.

Ebony Tower is a case in point.  Not only one of the great Nidrosian albums, but I would say it is one of the greatest black metal albums ever produced. 

Quite a statement, but let’s look at the album in detail so we can examine its merits.

Flaming Black Zenith kicks off proceedings with an atmospheric, monk-like chant set against swirling synths.  The guitar enters with a funeral-like dirge of a riff and drums roll busily as an accompaniment.  A bell tolls ominously and this mid-pace start breaks and the track leaps into life.  Furious tremolo-picked riffing set against a steady, furious beat.  Azazil hollers his vocal in a very Norwegian chant-like style of black metal singing, no high-pitched screeching here.  The riffs keep coming at us, all majestic, as do the tempo changes.  An atmosphere so thick you could cut it.  The production, for once in this scene, is absolutely spot on and each instrument is clearly heard.  Each new riff is accompanied by a tempo change, yet the vocals are consistent leading to some great contrasts.  Two guitars are used in this track and they wind and weave around each other like unholy lovers.  Blood Across the Firmament is again a mid-paced atmospheric piece that relies more on emotion than anything technical.  Once the track gets going we have a driving riff backed by very busy drums (some blast beats going on here), but when Azazil brings the vocals in the drums and guitars pick up speed.  Again the vocal performance is wonderful, fitting the music, enhancing the atmosphere.  I am positive that the drums (also played by Azazil) never repeat the same fill twice!  there’s a great beat to this track and the guitars soar overhead, linked by Azazil’s vocal performance.  Morbid and intense contrasted against the relentless drive of the drums this track constantly surprises.  A breakdown of sorts with two guitar melodies emerging against the rolling drums leads us to the climax of the track which ends with a muted guitar playing an almost acoustic arpeggio supported by another ominous guitar melody full of dissonance.  Great stuff. 

These Fountains of Darkness enters like the end of the world, full of violence, drive, and fury.  Nothing subtle here.  Vicious tremolo-picked guitars backed by incredibly busy drums.  It slows to a mid-paced drive, the guitar chords sounding like the coming of the apocalypse and then the whole thing speeds up again with the vocals.  Great riffing again, full of drama and intent, a brooding menace in them.  The drums settle into a great beat, driving everything forward.  The two guitars again interlink, separate, and create glorious melodies.  Another mid-paced section produces two new guitar riffs, and Azazil’s vocals now sound heroic, yet doomed.  The track picks up speed and the guitars and drums are pushing the song its limits, which arrives in a glorious explosion of melody and rhythm.  That’s how you end side one! 

Nightbound, to me is the best song on the album.  Starting with a distorted bass, rolling drums and an expansive and dissonant guitar riff, the song changes tempo for the vocals, and we get a very busy rhythm section set against really heavy guitar riffs and the sense of hopelessness is palpable.  The contrast of the slower vocal part sections and the manic instrumental sections is very effective creating a narrative and underlining the journey that the narrator is undergoing from the light into the dark.  It is a hypnotic song, the riff lulling you into this black world, whilst the drums add a disorientating, dizzying lurch.  A breakdown of huge chords and rolling drums leads us to a new, sublime riff, which is both insistent and ominous at the same time.  A wonderful melody plays on top of the riff and the drive of the track is melodious and urgent – a resolution of sorts is approaching.  The last three minutes of this track is glorious, full of melody, fury, atmosphere, and acceptance of the dark.  Surely, little else has been written in black metal history that is this powerful.  You are lost in this dark light, immersed in the hypnotic riffs, and buffeted by the manic drums.  Pure ecstasy.

After that, the guys get straight to the point of Labyrinth of Dying Stars.  Fast and furious with wonderful vocals sitting on top it’s a great way to break the spell of Nightbound.  Azazil is chanting the vocal here, like some demented demon, the riff is punishing, and those drums!  We get a choir of voices swirling amongst the cacophony and yet the riffs stand out, driven by melody and an urgency that this track conveys.  A change, a demented, progressive melody emerges against a fast, distorted riff, embracing the busy drums and the vocal and choir return, blending effortlessly into the whole.  It has to stop, of course it does, and we get blistering chords, a menacing melody and drums that refuse to just provide a beat.  Now the vocals sound threatening, no longer full of harmony, they demand death: O cold and hungry Night/I am Thy reaping sword!  There is only one end in this unholy prayer – Beyond books and religion/Beyond mind and thought/Beyond life and death/In dark pristine wilderness/Lieth the true altar of Satan!  We are left with desolation, swirling synths and guitars, a female voice of murderous harmonic proportions, whispering voices of the dead, the album fades into this abyss, leaving a haunting, ethereal atmosphere of the triumph of the dark.  These guys mean it, when the album was released they issued the following statement:  This isn’t a show, this isn’t a gimmick. This is real Black Metal how it always was meant to be.  Amen to that.

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