Album Type: Full length
Date
released:
16/06/2017
Label: Seasons of
Mist
Given the amount
of average extreme music that is available, Nidingr’s release is outstanding
for such depth alone.
"The High Heat Licks Against Heaven"
CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.
Hangaguð
2.
Surtr
3.
The Ballad of Hamther
4.
On Dead Body Shore
5.
Gleipnir
6.
Sol Taker
7.
Ash Yggdrasil
8.
Heimdalargaldr
9.
Valkyries Assemble
10.
Naglfar Is Loosed
The Review:
The
long shadow of Norwegian black metal’s most brutal off-stage moments are the
stuff of countless thinkpieces, documentaries and books. Such history is
deceptive, because the mainstream merely gets grist for tabloid headlines while
a scene that is vibrant as it is seminal to the global metal ecosystem goes
underappreciated.
Borre-based
outfit Nidingr
bear a claim to Norwegian black metal’s story. Formed as Audr in 1992, the project of Morten Iversen has been bruising heads
with its caustic edge to the music. Maybe such a sound for Nidingr is not completely
unexpected. Iversen counts Gorgoroth,
Orcustus,
Mayhem
and other acts on his resume. As you think about that experience, you might
wonder why Nidingr
is considered or classifies itself in the black metal camp. Herein lies a
curious departure in this tale.
What
makes Nidingr
such a unique part of metal in Europe is the
influences you hear in its sound over time. Go back and listen to the crew’s
past releases and you will most assuredly hear doom metal, crust punk and even
some non-extreme orchestration in its songs. Lyrically, the band fits well into
the subgenre, creating often horrific imagery. Iversen and company are not above pushing the musical boundaries,
however.
Your
first trip through "The High Heat
Licks Against Heaven" is a relentless experience. The hefty drum and
bass throughout the recording makes every track particularly foreboding and
intense. The bark of vocalist Cpt.
Estrella Grasa snatches you almost immediately. Grasa, the pseudonym of Alf
Almén, snarls outward with the essence of Norwegian black metal stylings,
but is wholly original. You might catch some inspiration from punk in parts of
the vocal in "The Ballad of
Hamther" and other moments. Mathcore elements dot "On Dead
Body Shore
One
of the standout selections fans will put on repeat is "Gleipnir" – even though the opening will possibly make
you turn your head and ask, ‘what the
fuck is this?’ It is sandwiched between the
previously mentioned "Shore"
and the similarly hard charging "Sol
Taker" yet sound like neither in the slightest. Instead, there’s a
strong hint of doom. Either way, it is exceptional, as is one of the other
doom/sludge tracks, "Ash
Yggdrasil." You, in fact, may find black metal on the full-length, but
there’s more here than meets the eye.
"The High Heat Licks
Against Heaven" is available here:
