Have you ever been so stubborn that
you totally missed out on the most amazing thing? I tend to be like that. In my
case, music is the subject. Truth be told, the amount on Black Metal that pops
up every single day is tremendous, and I do not have the ability to filter A from
B, leaving me with very few releases that do fall on my radar; this means many
more fall under, over, next to, whatever…
However, if social media has one thing
playing for them, is that it “warns” people of things that are going around,
sharpening their appetite for them. I have been aware of the name Djevel for
years, and recall enjoying one of their old releases (an EP, perhaps?), but
losing interest for whatever reason. Yesterday, I saw a publication for their
new release and seriously enjoyed their new logo (I am an aesthetic kind of
music fan). Decided to give it a go today, while working. Djevel has one very
important thing for them: Faust. we do not forget what happened in the Past,
but we cannot (should not, at least) judge him today for what happened years
ago. With that being said, remember how good of a drummer this mate is!
Remember who recorded the drums for Emperor’s initial releases… those releases.
The man has never lost his abilities, and this record shows it very well. He
might be, in fact, one of the Norwegian Old School Black Metal musicians that
has had the best performance after the 90s cycle of craziness, no? Debatable, I
know.
But back to Djevel’s latest offering.
One of the greatest things about it is that it does not stick to the TNBM legacy,
completely. Yes, it lives inside that sphere of influence, but it absorbs so
many more influences - inside the Black Metal genre, of course - that make
their sound so much richer. And this makes complete sense when we look at the
band’s line-up and see bands like Black Majesty, Dark Sorority, Mare, Vemod,
Whoredom Rife, Stigma Diabolicum, Scum… so, the panel is very wide, and it does
not stick to one “version” of the sound. The melodies are an update of what was
done in the Past, with additions of “modernity” (go light on the modernity
idea, please).And where do we find these elements
better? Whenever there is a transition, a change in him pace, in rhythm; there
is where you see that these lads are not just another copycat, that they
understand the genre, work around it, and provided an exquisite example of its
new incarnations, per se.
This album is so easy to listen to, so
effortless to assimilate and identify with. The track that names the album is
just perfect, it is perfect Norway of the 90s, with a little something else.
Beautiful melodies, excellent keyboards, the drumming lets the music breathe,
but gives it that groove to make it flow better, the guitar takes you on this
journey. Pretty words for a blackened record. The 4th track is a call
for Norwegian ancestry, for Viking melodies and, again, 90s melodies.
I end up seeing Djevel as an homage
band; an honest homage to the 90s Norwegian Black Metal scene, without being a
copy of what was done back then. Do I make myself clear? Playing in line with
what the best did, influenced by those days, is the best tribute one could ask
for. Do not want to sound like a prick, and limit the band to A or B, and my
words are immensely positive and appreciative. The fact that a band is able to
display such artistry is amazing.
The acoustic guitars on the 5th
track…I have been drifting away from
the more recent scene, more and more. cannot identify with what many artists
are doing. It seems that the aim is to sound Raw and Rotten, at all costs. Yes,
we do have brilliant exceptions to this statement, but nonetheless I feel more
and more unattached to the way musicians craft their Black Metal. Let us not
“blame” age or time in the scene (“love” this expression and idea), for plenty
of older fans do love and appreciate today’s scene just like they love and
appreciate the 90s scene. It is an emotional thing, I reckon.
Djevel, or how 7 tracks are more than
enough to show me that the 90s are very much alive and well, and that this
sound, this perspective of Black Metal has many more years ahead. Call me old,
call me grumpy, but this is the sound of Black Metal.
Beyond Helvete - “Anthem of Decay” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2022). Immortal Frost Productions has given us 2 tremendous Black Metal works this year: Corpus Christii and Pyra. Both different, but both within the realm of Black Metal (and Death Metal). This work, by Beyond Helvete, is the 3 rd IFP work I have access to, and we again drop into the universe of Black Metal. Slightly different from the already mentioned ones, but still ferocious and full of power. Beyond Helvete has been around since 2007, and Natrgaard, the man behind it, has been delivering the goods. Imagine the strength of a band like Marduk, that endurance, that consistent show of power… Beyond Helvete lives in a similar bubble, although not reaching the quality the Swedes have gathered throughout these many years of presence in the Black Metal Global scene. Nonetheless, it sounds as a good example to describe one of the facets of the German musician without limiting it to A or B. The track that names the alb...
Psychonaut 4 “… Of Mourning” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024) Psychonaut 4 have been spreading their specific human condition for several years now, 14 to be more precise, and only now have I contacted their sound! The name was well-known, but the music was not. I have never been a fan of the more depressive side of the genre, and these lads live inside that sphere; thing is, their sound has small details that sound differently. There is a different dynamic in all their sound, an almost progressive and psychedelic approach. No, not a Floydian one, ok? They have guitar solos that sound quite cheerful. Wait… are they not on the depressive side of the globe? Maybe they are… The more you listen to this record, the more you are able to hear the different moments the band has crafted. Several emotions and stages of existence. Funny how their sound has these 2 opponent personas: sadness and joyfulness. Well, I can hear and feel moments of clarity and clear skies. But sadness does ...
Kratti “Matka Kohti Kosmista” (Signal Rex, 2024) “Kratti are the ascending newcomers of the bleak fields of Finnish Black Metal!” That is one bold statement, right? You need to be good at something before you go out and say that. Well… let’s find out. Kratti is a 3 man Finnish straight to the throat Black Metal act. They do have a point when they state they are the “…ascending newcomers…”, for their sound is stone cold ripping Black Metal. It is Finnish, and you can almost feel it in your bones. The melodies merged with that Finnish violence – that is not violence, but a harsher approach – that we all love. Come on! It is hard not to enjoy what the Finns have been doing for decades, their mastered sound, their own vision of Black Metal… Kratti goes down that path, successfully, and oh man! I was never into complex music, maybe due to my Hardcore Punk background, so when a band goes straight to the point, I am in for the ride. To say that these lads are doing something tha...
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