Ildjarn- Minnesjord (1994)

Ildjarn’s fourth demo and fifth release overall, Minnesjord, is a classic example of what this one man band is all about. The demo contains seven short jolts of buzz-saw riffage and militantly precise percussion. The songs all basically follow the same formula. A sharp riff is repeated for one to two minutes to the unchanging beat of Ildjarn’s exact percussion. There is usually a tiny bit of variation within the riff, but Ildjarn predominately sticks with one progression. The vocals are what one would expect from Ildjarn—harsh, dry and hateful. While some of the other recordings employ undistorted bass, the bass on Minnesjord has distortion, which results in a slightly less dynamic sound overall.

The riffs on Minnesjord are solid, but none of them are truly riveting in the way that the ones on Norse or Strength and Anger are. Still, the demo moves along steadily and the riffs are captivating enough to sustain the short song lengths. There is one unusual song on the demo. “Dalens äno (Avslutning)” is actually a brief acoustic piece for bass and sounds more like something one would find on a jazz recording than a black metal demo. The song doesn’t quite fit in, but it does sound good, though at 48 seconds it is too short.

While Minnesjord is not one of the highlights of Ildjarn’s discography, it provides a solid and quick fix of what Ildjarn fans of his know and love. If you’re a fan of Ildjarn’s more famous releases this demo is worth a few listens.  

Overall: 7.5/10

Enslaved- Hordanes Land (1993)

Hordanes Land is a key stepping stone in Enslaved’s development of the viking black metal subgenre. In contrast to the fast, attacking blitz of Yggdrasill, Hordanes Land slows down the tempo, inflates the song lengths and peppers the compositions with a little more variation. The EP consists of three bulky songs, each consisting of a small number of progressions, ranging from 8-13 minutes. While in some respects Enslaved bite off more than they are ready to chew, in other respects the band has already found its stride.

One area where Enslaved really find their form is in the production department. Though the thin production of Yggdrasill captures the young band’s energetic spirit, it lacks the depth and texture needed to fully conjure the ancient, noble spirit Enslaved is aiming to recapture. Hordanes Land remedies that by producing a massive, echoic environment that lends itself to images of viking boats traversing rough, oceanic terrain. The rhythm guitars and bass are low and thick, creating a rumbling tone like rolling waves. The drums are similarly deep and thunderous. These low, heavy sounds provide a great foundation for the high pitched shrieks, symphonic keys and melodious guitar solos. While the guitar solos and vocals are strong, the keyboards often sound quite cheap. This is especially true of the dinky organ and choir samples.

Enslaved will liberally repeat a captivating hook for several minutes. Sometimes this is done to a flaw, especially on “Slaget I Skogen Bortenfor,” which tips the scale at 13 minutes. The song contains one too many repetitious sections that lack the substance to justify the duration. The next two tracks are little more concise and satisfying. “Allfadr Odinn” (a rerecording of a track of Yggdrasill) has an inspired, uplifting chorus full of shimmering choir and organ samples. It’s an early sighting of Enslaved’s psychedelic tenancies and distinctly recalls early Pink Floyd. “Balfǫr” is the strongest track; its foundation is a dark, serpentine riff and groovy rhythm, which at different points accompanied by piano, acoustic guitar and strings. The band uses the multiplicity of instruments to create exquisite harmonies. 

While Hordanes Land has its flaws, it is still a highly enjoyable recording. Enslaved’s ear for an epic melodies is evident and every song has numerous quality riffs. Furthermore, the EP contains quite a bit of variety. There are harsh and gritty passages but there are also passages that are quite elegant. While this EP is heavily (and rightfully) overshadowed by Enslaved’s first few full lengths, fans will enjoy hearing this key step in the development of Enslaved’s sound. 

Overall: 8/10

Immortal- Sons of Northern Darkness (2002)

 

2000’s Damned in Black marked the beginning of the end for Immortal. It was dull, innocuous, generic and commercial. Both the production and the songwriting were subpar from start to finish. It looked as if Immortal was out of ideas and was content to cash in on their image and the increasing popularity of black metal. For the most part, that’s exactly what happened; however, Immortal still had a few more good ideas left up their sleeves, though not nearly enough to create a whole new album.  The result is 2002’s highly inconsistent Sons of Northern Darkness.

Sons of Northern Darkness fixes a few of the basic problems that plagued Damned in Black. The most notable upgrade is in the production. While Damned in Black sounded overly processed and one dimensional, Sons of Northern Darkness has a more layered sound, closer to that of At the Heart of Winter. As a result, Sons of Northern Darkness creates a much better atmosphere. The textured sound works well with the epic nature of the compositions. On the downside, Abbath’s vocals are overly modulated, making him sound like a cyborg lizard. 

Sons of Northern Darkness is a strange one. While there are three truly excellent songs on this album, the rest of the tracks are total snoozers. The title track displays excellent songwriting, shifting between the biting tremolo of the verse, an unforgettable chorus and the solemn and epic bridge. “Tyrants” is a dark, mean and groovy beast with awesome chant along lyrics. “Beyond The North Waves” is a sweeping epic that vividly depicts vikings traversing the frigid northern seas on the way to battle. All three of these tracks are lively, inspired and energetic. The drumming is sharp and solos are killer. These three songs are on par with anything on At the Heart of Winter. 

However, the quality of these three songs makes it all the more strange that the rest of the album is so bland. The other five songs are as flat and unimaginative as anything found on Damned in Black. Most of the songs are bloated with plodding choruses, dragged out bridges to nowhere and stale guitar solos. Three of the songs drag out to the seven minute mark, even though they have worn out their welcome within the first four minutes. 

To make matters worse, the lyrics are some of Immortal’s poorest. While Demonaz was never exactly a poet, he did provide some powerful, image-laden lyrics on the early albums. On Sons of Northern Darkness, Demonaz has been reduced to talking about coldness and darkness over and over. He could at least have used a thesaurus. The words “dark”, “cold” and “black” are used in almost every song. Seriously, did Demonaz commission the lyric writing duties to a twelve year old fan? “Antarctica” talks about how cold and icy Antarctica is, but a kindergartener could have told you that. It ends with the hilarious line, “Antarctica, its drama will unfold!” What drama happens in Antarctica? Penguins trying to keep their eggs warm? 

While there is enough quality material on Sons of Northern Darkness to create an excellent EP, it is a pretty pedestrian full length. Far too many of the songs lack quality riffs or melodies. The fact that Immortal seem content to drag out the songs well past their expiration date makes the album all the more tedious. Though this is an upgrade over Damned in Black it is still one of Immortal's weakest releases.  

Overall: 5.5/10

Immortal- Damned in Black (2000)

 

When news broke that Demonaz was leaving Immortal due to arthritis, it appeared the band’s days were numbered. It was hard to envision Immortal continuing to have success without its heart and soul. Surprisingly, Abbath was able to smoothly transition Immortal away from its signature fast and relentless holocaust metal sound and toward a more streamlined and epic brand of black metal. Their first release in the style, At the Heart of Winter was quite impressive. While there were a few awkward transitions and compositional choices, the quality of the riffs and melodies was top notch. It looked as if Immortal was ready to release a series of high quality epic black metal albums. Unfortunately, all such expectations were smashed with the flat and flavorless Damned in Black.

In principle, the idea behind Damned in Black is pretty good. It mostly sticks to the format of At the Heart of Winter but reintegrates a number of fast paced, back-breaking passages. While such a synthesis of the holocaust metal and epic black metal styles sounds promising, a lack of inspiration, quality and creativity keeps the album from producing anything noteworthy. 

All the riffs on Damned in Black are dull and generic. Most sound like second rate versions of what can be found on At the Heart of Winter. The riffs are “epic” but in a very cookie cutter way.  There’s a commercial gloss to all the songs. Really, other than having significantly less keyboards, the music on here isn't all that different from what one finds on Dimmu Borgir from the same time period. Often the central riffs are bulky and plodding (i.e. the main riff of “The Darkness That Embrace Me”). The faster passages are adequate, but do little more than regurgitate what one can find on Blizzard Beasts, only without the fire and venom. The closest the band gets to a good song is the title track, which contains a memorable, though not exactly good, chorus and fairly interesting guitar work during the bridge. That said, even this song sounds overly processed and uninspired. 

Like At the Heart of Winter, Damned in Black was recorded at Abyss Studios. However, whereas the previous album had a big, textured sound, the sound quality here is very one dimensional. Part of that is due to the less ambitious songwriting. Without the highs and lows that made songs like “Withstand the Fall of Time” and “Solarfall” so riveting, the production results in a plastic sound. 

Something also needs to be said about the god awful cover. Obviously, Immortal has never been known for tasteful album covers (though Diabolical Fullmoon Mystcism has a pretty cool one) but none of them have looked nearly as atrocious as the cover to Damned in Black. The cover, depicting the three members standing in front of a horribly produced CGI background of red and black smoke, looks like a WWE promo poster. Horgh, who is wearing a goofy smile, looks mentally challenged. 

Damned in Black consummated Immortal’s decent into generic, mainstream black metal. It is simultaneously innocuous, commercial and plastic. It lacks spirit and it lacks ambition. In a phrase, Damned in Black is definitively mediocre. 

Overall: 4/10

Ildjarn- Norse (1993)

While Ildjarn’s self-titled demo is where the band’s sound really begins to take form, his debut EP, a collaboration with Nidhogg, is where the sound is truly mastered. Norse is twelve minutes of fast-paced, hypnotizing black metal. In comparison to the prior release, the songs are condensed and the harmonies are upgraded. The result is one of Ildjarn’s best recordings.

Norse sets the standard for the rest of Ildjarn’s black metal releases. The songs are all composed of the same small set of elements: buzz saw power chords, taut bass, and imperiously precise and repetitive percussion. In contrast to most Ildjarn albums, where the drums are real, Norse employs a drum machine. Ostensibly, it makes no difference, since Ildjarn's drumming style is very mechanical to begin with. The elements come together to create a sound that has the directness of punk and the catchiness of techno, but an aesthetic that is undeniably black metal. These songs capture a primordial violence; the vicious fervor of the hunter for the hunted.

The production is raw, but not quite as raw as Ildjarn and Forest Poetry. As a result, the riffs are easier to grasp and stick quicker. That’s good news, because there are some really great riffs on this recording. “Morklagt Sti” seamlessly shifts back and forth between a deep and groovy verse and a bouncy chorus. There’s just enough variation between the two passages to pull the listener up and down, but the overall uniformity is totally hypnotizing. “Svarte Hjerter” is a bleaker track that creates a foreboding atmosphere. “Nattens Ledestjerne” is a solid but unspectacular song; pretty typical song from this era of Ildjarn. “Natt Og Tåke” is a phenomenal piece with an undecipherable but nonetheless obsessively good chant along chorus. The song-lengths are perfect: just long enough to lock their hooks sink into your head, but not so long as to become redundant. 

Norse is the perfect introduction to Ildjarn. Because the production is less abrasive and the album avoids the Tolstoyian length of Ildjarn and Strength and Anger, a newcomer will be less distracted by Ildjarn’s frills and can focus on the music itself. Many will be surprised by how effective this simple style of black metal can be (and those who don’t like it won’t have to waste their time sitting through an 80 minute album). Fans who have overlooked this EP should remedy that immediately as this is one of Ildjarn’s most engaging and effective records. 

Overall: 9/10

Ildjarn- Ildjarn demo (1993)

 

Ildjarn’s 1993 self-titled demo is where the one man band’s signature sound begins to take shape. After releasing a pair of demos consisting of bulky and plodding mid-tempo cuts of bloated black metal, Ildjarn made some major amendments to his sound. Ildjarn kicks the music up a notch, playing meaner, harsher riffs at faster tempos (though this demo is still a step slower than the pace found on most the tracks of Ildjarn’s full-lengths). The taut bass provides a stellar compliment of counterpoints to the main riff. The drums are efficient and as precise as a metronome, but not quite as monochromatic as some other Ildjarn recordings.

Ihsahn of Emperor fame provides the session vocals.  While his vocal performances on the early Emperor recordings (especially Wrath of the Tyrant) can be quite obnoxious, here he gives a solid if unspectacular performance. His voice is a little more spooky and serpentine than Ildjarn’s harsh and direct growls. While Ildjarn’s vocals would have served just fine here, Ihsahn’s performance in no way detracts from the recording. If nothing else, it provides the self-titled demo with a novel dimension. 

 

At its best, the demo provides riffs that grab the listener by the throat and refuse to let go. “Ild” has a great central riff that revels in predatory fervor. “Støv Og Aske” has an entrapping hypnotic riff that foreshadows the entrancing melodies of Strength and Anger. Sometimes, the songs can drag on a bit too long. Tracks like “Sola Skjultes,” and “Fjerde Dag” are interesting at first, but wear out their welcome after the first few minutes. This is one of the last lessons Ildjarn still had to learn; if you want to play simple songs composed of only one or two progressions with little variation, you better keep the song lengths short. 

This demo stands as a key moment in the development of Ildjarn. The basic sonic elements are all in place; all that remains wanting is refinement of the songwriting. There are enough impressive moments that Ildjarn fans will not want to leave this demo unheard, but newcomers would be better off starting their exploration Ildjarn’s discography with his next recording, the Norse EP. 

Overall: 7/10

Immortal- At the Heart of Winter (1999)

 

In 1997 Immortal received a massive blow when guitarist Demonaz learned that he had tendinitis and could no longer play in the band. Demonaz’s blistering fast-paced picking and exquisite taste in melodies were the central ingredients to Immortal’s “holocaust metal” sound.  With Demonaz down and out, the remaining members of Immortal were forced to decide between dissolving or evolving.  They chose the latter option, replacing the short, lightning-fast back-breakers of the previous three albums and with long, massive, mid-tempo epics. The resulting album, At the Heart of Winter is a surprisingly effective piece of epic black metal.

At the Heart of Winter is not completely without precedent. Both Battles in the North and Blizzard Beasts contain a mid-tempo epic, “Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)” and “Mountains of Might,” respectively. The contents of At the Heart of Winter are not too different from those pieces, though these songs are generally even longer and more accessible. The songs center on a few memorable riffs and choruses that are designed to stick in your head. There are a few darker moments, but mostly this is a quite upbeat album. Calling it happy would be a stretch, but it’s definitely pompous and invigorated. 

The drums are also quite different. The nonstop barrage of blast beats from the previous albums is replaced by a more dynamic and varied performance. The are a number of lengthy, melodic guitar solos as well. Naturally, the change in style results in a change in production. At the Heart of Winter was recorded at the legendary Abyss Studios, which is known for producing clean and balanced black metal albums. This is was certainly a keen move by Immortal. The clean and bright sound of the guitars and the full, echoic sound of the drums results in a massive tone that allows the gloriousness of these songs shine.

While Abbath has no trouble finding catchy riff after catchy riff, his songwriting is less consistent. The songs don’t always flow in the most natural manner. This is most evident when Abbath tries to integrate atmospheric or symphonic elements into the songs. For example, the title track starts with a two minute passage of beautiful, mournful keyboard and clean guitar. This passage would be excellent if it was building toward a dark or melancholic piece of black metal in the vein of Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism, but instead it is abruptly and awkwardly interrupted by a boisterous riff. It’s a painful passage that is not unlike watching a bunch of drunken frat boys barge in on a funeral procession. While this is the most appalling transition on the album, there are a number of less offensive but nevertheless poorly executed transitions.

Still, there are a few moments of impressive songwriting scattered throughout the album. The way in which “Years of Silent Sorrow” builds toward the somber middle passage is quite impressive. “Solarfall” does an excellent job of shifting between fast and slow passages and integrates a magnificent clean section into the middle of the composition. 

With the loss of Demonaz, Immortal was bound to change their sound. While there are a few areas that could have been stronger, At the Heart of Winter is still on the whole a very fun listen. Glorious riffs and choruses abound and the production and atmosphere is quite complimentary. The album avoids the monotony of Damned in Black and also steers clear of devolving into self-parody in the way that Sons of Northern Darkness does. While it’s far from perfect, it’s still a respectable and original contribution to the Immortal discography. 

Overall: 8.5/10

Gontyna Kry- Oblicza Prawd Zdradzonych Dla Krzyża (1996)

Oblicza Prawd Zdradzonych Dla Krzyża is the weak link in the otherwise very strong early Gontyna Kry discography. In contrast to the highly developed and stylized demos like Welowie and Pusty Wieczór, Oblicza Prawd… is a lot less focused and refined. The demo occasionally displays the band’s excellent taste for melody and harmony, but the sound quality is far inferior to their other releases from this era. 

The overall mix is pretty poor. The vocals are upfront, while the instruments are all muddled in the background. That’s unfortunate, because the vocals are not great here. While most Gontyna Kry’s early recordings have high-pitched vocals in the vein of early Burzum, here the vocalist melds a blackened scream  with a straight-forward shout. This is not the ideal vocal style for this atmospheric and melancholic brand of black metal. The guitars are sufficiently audible, but are weak and cheap sounding. The high end of the drums is easy to hear, but the low end is really difficult to make out. 

The songwriting on Oblicza Prawd… is not very interesting either. There are three pieces of black metal in the style of Master’s Hammer circa Ritual; while this is a nice style, none of the songs are very consistent. There are some nice passages scattered throughout the recording (i.e. harmonic chorus on “Pradawne Przymierze”) but none the songs sustain interest from start to finish. The intro and outro—which are often standouts on Gontyna Kry recordings—are also not their best. The intro is a decent electric solo backed by acoustic guitar, but nothing especially captivating, while the outro is an innocuous solo piece for electric guitar. 

Oblicza Prawd… is definitely the weakest of Gontyna Kry’s demos. In comparison to the feast of melancholic melodies that comprise the next few releases, Oblicza Prawd… is simply lacking. While diehard fans might find it somewhat interesting to hear what the band sounded like at this early stage, newcomers would be better off looking to the next three releases, which have much more to offer. 

Overall: 4/10

Countess- The Book of the Heretic (1996)

If you go to the Countess website you can read Orlok’s personal memories from the recording sessions of all of the albums through 2007’s Blazing Flames of War. On a number of occasions (i.e. The Gospel of the Horned One and The Shining Swords of Hate) Orlok boasts about making albums with the most “horrible” sound quality possible. He seems to see the ultra-lo-fi production as an ideological finger at overproduced and commercial black metal and simultaneously, a horned salute to first wave legends such as Venom and Bathory. The one album whose sound Orlok actually laments is The Book of the Heretic, which he thinks “utterly sucks” (which is apparently the polar opposite of being “horrible”). I can’t help but find this highly ironic, because The Book of the Heretic is the perfect example of an album with production that is in principle terrible, but on this one special occasion fits the songs like a glove. 

The production on The Book of the Heretic is like that of no other black metal album. Black metal is notorious for producing albums on which the bass is very low in the mix, if not completely inaudible. Here, the bass is not only audible, but it by far the loudest instrument in the mix! Each rubbery note of the bass stands front and center. The guitars are much lower in the mix, with the exception of the solos, which are sharp and clear. Now on paper, that sounds awful. First of all, the bass is a rhythm instrument and unless we’re talking about Geddy Lee, Les Claypool etc., the bass should stick to that roll. Considering that Countess is a raw, minimal, old-school black metal band, it’s hard to see how a bass-centered album can work… but damn does it work! The reason it works so well is the narrative nature of songs that make up The Book of the Heretic. 

The Book of the Heretic is a loose concept album based around stories of warriors who have sold their soul to Satan so as to rid the world of Christianity. The lyrics have it all: battles, torture, goats, demons and strange sex rituals. These are like bedtime stories from Hell. Orlok describes the various torture chambers, battlefields and dimensions of Hell in descriptive story tale fashion, mostly from the first person perspective. He employs a wide range of vocals to add drama to the stories. Of course there is his signature blackened squall, but there are also boisterous spoken word passages and bellowing chants. 

By and large, The Book of the Heretic is composed of slow paced songs that take their time to unfold, and that’s just fine, because the melodies are excellent. The songs mostly start out soft and subtle before eventually reaching intensely violent peaks. Orlok takes his time letting every line sink in, allowing the wicked stories to vividly come to life in the listener’s imagination. The trotting bass lines set the pace for the stories to unfold, while the devious guitar leads and spooky synths provide colorful highlights throughout.

The Book of the Heretic is one of those albums where every song (save “Creation”) is excellent in its own right. It’s tempting to describe every song because each one has its own creepy story to tell and Orlok is never at a loss for a few catchy hooks and dramatic compositional twists. For the sake of brevity, I’ll only mention the simultaneously hilarious and kickass “Give me Your Soul.” Countess has always had a theatrical element to its sound, and here Orlok decides to let his inner thespian come out. Our “hero” has a woman trapped in a torture chamber where teases her while preparing to steal her soul. “It’s not just your flesh I want,” hums Orlok as if he were talking to a scared puppy, before bursting out into blood-curdling screams of “giving me your soul!” It’s so excessive and extreme that you can’t help but laugh and bang your head at once. 

The only weakness of the album is the three faster, thrashy songs; here the production does lead to awkward results. The pounding bass and minimal guitar just cannot fulfill the vicious aims of these tracks. Nevertheless, Orlok’s malicious vocals and blistering solos still make “In Hate of Christ” and “On the Wings of Azeral” worthwhile. “Creation,” on the other hand, is basically two and a half minutes of filler. Otherwise, the longer, slow tracks all sound excellent.

The Book of the Heretic is a great album in the same way that a cheap, low budget horror movie can be great. Yes, it’s silly, over the top and isn’t executed with much grace, charm or attention to detail, but it sure is a lot of fun. For those who like epic and spooky melodies, demented fairytales and lo-fi production, The Book of the Heretic is essential listening and any Countess fan who overlooked this release should remedy that immediately. 

Overall: 9.5/10

Graveland- Dawn of Iron Blades (2004)

Graveland’s viking metal period started out with a blast. The first three albums each consist of epic riffs, textured keyboards and glorious melodies that vividly depict stories of battle and/or folklore. While the core elements are the same, each album employs them in an original manner, developing its own identity. Immortal Pride is big and bombastic with massive orchestral synths dominating the soundscape. Creed of Iron is similarly epic, but opts for a more riff oriented, aggressive sound. Memory and Destiny deemphasizes the militant themes and creates a beautiful, lush soundscape that revolves around oceanic folklore. With 2004’s The Fire of Awakening Rob finally ran out of ways to reemploy the style. The riffs are cookie cutter and the songs are overlong and bloated. 

Rob must have recognized that the style had become stale, because Dawn of Iron Blades contains some fairly significant changes. Dawn of Iron Blades is the most aggressive album of Graveland’s viking metal period. While there is still a fair share of melodic passages, there is way more attacking passages than usual. There are far fewer keys than on most of Graveland’s earlier albums and in general the soundscape involves far fewer elements and layers. The keys are truly a background instrument and Rob is willing to let them disappear for long stretches of time. There are even some piercing banshee wails that supplement Rob’s signature dry rasp. (These wails are definitely the best contribution Dawn of Iron Blades has to offer, though they will be better employed on the next album, Fire Chariot of Destruction.)

Unfortunately, all these changes do not manage to resuscitate the struggling Graveland project. The problem begins with the production, which is just awful. The sound is extremely flat. Graveland have suffered from weak production in the past but never to this degree. The shaky, weak tone of the guitars is especially bad. Considering that the goal of this album is to create a more violent atmosphere, the weakness of the guitars is a major issue. Here we are with these pounding drums and spiteful vocals, but the guitars are as thin as rice paper! The epic passages sound equally poor. The guitars lack the force to sweep the listener away. 

Beyond the production issues, Dawn of Iron Blades suffers from a general dearth of standout songs. While there are a number of decent riffs scattered throughout the album, none of the songs are truly engaging from start to finish. Most of the time, the songs feel aimless. They flounder for two or three minutes before stumbling upon a nice riff or synth line only to fade back into the nebulous fog of mediocrity. 

While Rob Darken can be complimented for not making the same mistake twice, making two different mistakes once isn’t a whole lot better. Dawn of Iron Blades avoids the predictable sound and generic songwriting of The Fire of Awakening, but instead suffers from poor mixing and sloppy songwriting. Ultimately these flaws are even more damaging than those of the previous album and as a result Dawn of Iron Blades earns the title of worst Graveland full length to date. 

Overall: 5/10

Ildjarn- Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths (1992)

 

Ildjarn is best known for fast, energetic and addictive bite-sized pieces of black metal. However, his debut demo, Unknown Truths is anything but fast, energetic and addictive; it is plodding, monotonous and boring. His second demo, Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths fails to improve on its predecessor, suffering from the exact same flaws. 

From the sound of it, the two demos were recorded in very close proximity to one another. The style of songwriting—longer (by Ildjarn’s standards), repetitive songs consisting of a few bumbling power chords—is exactly the same. Even a few tracks are repeated between the two demos. Insofar as the production is concerned, Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths has a slightly more powerful guitar tone than Unknown Truths. The other elements are the same. The drums are very straight forward, while the vocals are rough and hateful (the later once again being the highlight of the demo).  

Like its predecessor, the downfall of Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths is the mediocrity of the riffs. There are very few elements to Ildjarn compositions and without quality riffs, the music doesn’t go anywhere. Here the riffs are just big, weighted and flavorless. The result is an album that zaps the listener’s energy and spirit. Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths doesn’t even have the weird, extraterrestrial-inspired ambient passages of its predecessor. Sadly, those ambient passages were the strength of Unknown Truths, which means Seven Harmonies… is even less interesting. 

Fortunately, Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths is the end of the dry and dull opening stage of Ildjarn’s career. With the self-titled 1993 demo Ildjarn’s signature style emerges, setting the stage for some truly excellent recordings. Nonetheless, while good news is close at hand, the fact remains that Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths is a total bore. 

Overall: 4/10

Enslaved- Yggdrasill (1992)

Yggdrasill is where the Enslaved’s sound is truly born. Enslaved emerged from the ashes of the doom-death metal act Phobia, of which both Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson were members. Enslaved’s first demo, Nema is a messy misfire that still clings too heavily to doom-death conventions while trying to introduce black metal elements. Yggdrasill suffers from no such issues; this is pure epic black metal performed with inspiration. 

Yggdrasill is an excellent example of raw production done right. While there is absolutely no makeup on this recording, all the elements are clearly audible, except the bass (naturally), which takes some effort to make out. The guitars have a sharp and thin tone that results in an edgy, attacking sound. The drums are slightly more upfront, but don’t wash out the other instruments. The keys take center stage whenever they’re played, but do so without bombarding the listener. As a result, one actually gets a sense of the kinesis between the musicians. One can feel the energy and excitement that was in the room as this demo was being recorded. The rawness only manages to enhance the intensity of those feelings. 

The demo consists of four tracks of black metal and two keyboard pieces. The metal tracks are all longer, around 7-8 minutes each. In spite of their lengths, there aren’t a ton of elements at play. This is mostly fast and attacking black metal in which riffs are generously repeated. The riffs themselves are all solid, possessing a dark and mystical ambience. The repetition, along with sprinting pace of the drums and periodic interweaving of the bombastic keys results in a brilliant atmosphere. One can envision folkloric scenes of Vikings battling the elements to reach unknown lands.There are also a number of moments on the demo where the tempo is dropped a notch and Enslaved’s psychedelic tenancies start to sneak up. For example, the chorus of “Allfaðr Oðinn” centers on choir and organ samples that recall early Pink Floyd. 

The first two tracks on Yggdrasill would go on to be rerecorded: “Allfaðr Oðinn” on the Hordane’s Land EP and “Heimdallr” on the Víkínglígr Veldí LP. While the two rerecordings are ultimately superior—the execution is stronger, especially in the rhythm section—the sheer vivacity of these early versions makes them a worthwhile listen. The other two tracks are definitely the weaker of the bunch. The compositions are simpler and involve fewer wrinkles; nonetheless, both songs contain some strong riffs and keys. 

Yggdrasill provides one final treat for Enslaved fans in the stunning neoclassical piece, “The Winter Kingdom Opus I: Resound of Gjallarhorn”. The title could not be more apt. The song centers on a chilling and beautiful piano melody that immediately conjures images of a still, snow-covered forest far away from the hand of modern man. Choir and flute samples intensify the sense of awe and wonder. Unlike many of his black metal counterparts, Bjørnson has rarely indulged in neoclassical doodling; this piece will make you wish he did. 

With many of the big name Norwegian black metal bands the demos are interesting historical points of reference but fail to be enjoyable listens in their own right. That is not the case with Yggdrasill. This is an energetic recording full of memorable passages and solid compositions. While this is still a few steps short of the sheer genius of Víkínglígr Veldí, this was obviously a gigantic leap forward for Ensalved. 

Overall: 8.5/10

Burzum- Filosofem (1996)

"In every night there's a different black."

This line encapsulates the essence of Burzum’s fourth full length album, Filosofem (meaning, “Philosopheme”). Filosofem is an expression of Varg’s overarching philosophy. Musically, that philosophy is grounded in the concept of difference and repetition. Progressions slowly, almost without being noticed, differentiate over extended durations of time. The listener is lost in a paradoxical middle ground where sound seems to be simultaneously stagnant and morphing. While Varg plays with difference within repetition on all Burzum recordings, it is here that the technique is employed in its purest form. Each song contains only a small number of progressions that that are repeated for extended periods of time with subtle changes slowly but surely emerging.

The same concept is expressed through the lyrics and accompanying stories (the booklet contains a number of stories in Norwegian; the English versions are only available on the Burzum website). Filosofem is a concept album loosely based on the interplay of light and darkness: two oppositional forces that contrast each other but are also dependent on one another for meaning. Varg explores this interplay at both the literal and metaphorical level. For example, the story “Creeping and Crawling, Rustling and Fluttering” and the lyrics to “Burzum” explore the way in which night and day reveal the world through two oppositional filters; the story “Mouse Town” and the lyrics of “Gebrechlichkeit” describe a decrepit world in which the darkness has been removed and only light remains, an allusion to the Christian God of light.

Filosofem also marks a sharp change in production and execution for Burzum. The production is much cleaner and sharper than on prior recordings. It is the first Burzum album that does not in any way qualify as raw black metal. All the instruments are crystal clear and the performance is tight. While prior albums had a sense of uninhibited fervor, Filosofem is a work of precision. Every note is on point and every tap of the drum is on time. Even Varg's signature howls are replaced with a more reserved, raspy growl. All these changes could hint a gross misstep in Burzum's development, but as a matter of fact, the cleaner style is the perfect medium for the songs of Filosofem.

The album can be divided into two uneven parts. There are the opening three tracks which are lively and vivid; then there are the closing three tracks which are slow and contemplative. Certainly, there are multiple ways to interpret the relation of the two parts of the album, but considering the emphasis on light and darkness, it feels as if the first three songs represent the day and the last three songs represent the night.

The opening half contains a trio of energetic cuts of black metal. “Burzum” (which is actually the first song Varg wrote for Burzum) centers on a hypnotic riff that slowly slithers back and forth while hollow keys release notes like drops of water. Background layers of guitar sneak in and out of the composition. Then, in an absolutely exquisite moment, the notes are rearranged and Varg shifts from growl to spoken word. It’s a subtle but highly effective change that typifies the compositional techniques used throughout the album. "Jesus Tod" is absolutely enthralling. After a wicked guitar intro, the song breaks out into a ravenous pairing of sprinting drums and scathing guitars. Though there is very little change in the progression, the song still manages to build toward cathartic overflows. On “Erblicket die Töchter des Firmaments” a hard rocking riff and a steady drum beat are accompanied by ghostly keys. The sharp and steady percussion provide all three songs with a dynamic, fluid movement that hints at primal drives such as hunger and lust.

The second half of the album is quite a shift. The percussion disappears and the songs become even more repetitive. The centerpiece is the massive, twenty-five minute ambient piece “Rundgang um die Transzendentale Säule der Singularität,” which begins in a curious and playful tone but slowly shifts into a deep and solemn mood. It’s like watching a spiritual epiphany unravel; the melody initially seems simple and banal, but by the end has transformed into a brilliant choir of shimmering keys. Yet, even at its most profound, the music remains gentle and solemn. “Rundgang…” is bookended by “Gebrechlichkeit” parts I and II, which are basically the same song, only the first one has vocals while the second is instrumental. “Gebrechlichkeit” (meaning something along the lines of “frailness”) is a highly depressive song that centers on somber progressions on guitar and keys. The lyrics describe a world in which darkness is gone and only light remains—the world of the Christian God. In lieu of the dynamism of light and dark, all power is drained and one left in a state of absolute frailty. The song effectively depicts the Christian heaven as the most horrific realm fathomable. By blanketing the multifaceted, paganistic “Rundgang…” with the hopeless monotony of “Gebrechlichkeit,” Varg resoundingly depicts the spiritual superiority of paganism over monotheism.

Black metal has always been a genre tightly bound to ideology, but few black metal acts have created an album that is as ideologically complete asFilosofem. Filosofem provides a doorway into a paganistic worldview, in which darkness and light are at constant play with one another. Appropriately, Filosofem is a significant moment not only in the musical development of black metal—the employment trance-inducing repetition has caught on like wildfire—but also in the philosophical development of the genre. Filosofem maintains the critique of Christianity that is so central to black metal, but moves beyond the contrarian obsession with Satanism and into the realm of paganism. While Filosofem is by no means the first black metal album to take up paganistic themes (to one degree or another they’ve always been around, at least in the Norwegian scene), Varg’s use of repetition is the perfect tool through which to express an ideology that is grounded in the cycles and patterns of nature. For achieving a total unity of ideology and sound, it is fair to describe Filosofem as a perfect black metal album.

Overall: 10/10

Ildjarn- Unknown Truths (1991)

Ildjarn’s debut demo, Unknown Truths, is somewhat of a surprise for those familiar with his more famous releases. Rather than the quick, punchy black metal blitzes Ildjarn is known for, here he performs muddy and weighted pieces that lack the vision and originality most of his other works. 

Like all Ildjarn recordings, Unknown Truths is pretty stripped down. However, whereas most Ildjarn releases have more of a sharp and grating rawness to them, the sound quality here is dense and gritty. The drums are in the forefront, but the guitars and vocals are still easily audible. The guitars don’t have the best tone and would benefit from a bit more power, but overall the sound quality is decent. 

Unknown Truths consists of six slow to mid-tempo riff oriented pieces of black metal. The songs are grounded in big, lumbering riffs that unfortunately, fail to impress. The bulky hooks just aren’t that inspiring. This is ultimately the downfall of Unknown Truths. For a band as minimal as Ildjarn, the quality of the riffs is of the utmost importance. Usually Ildjarn delivers big time, but here there just isn’t much that is captivating. The other elements fail to pick up the slack. The drums are pretty simple, but not quite as monochromatic as most Ildjarn recordings. The vocals are the strength; they’re vicious and unrelenting.  That said, they aren’t so captivating that they can carry the recording. 

Each song is introduced with a brief ambient passage, which are kind of cool. They sound like excerpts from some obscure 70’s sci-fi film. There really isn’t any compositional connection between the ambient passages and the metal though; the ambient sections are just slapped on the front of black metal tracks with no attention paid to integrating these two disparate elements. 

Obviously Ildjarn had not developed his own musical identity when he recorded this demo. One can see him playing with lo-fi production and minimalistic compositions, but he hasn’t found the correct formula for them yet. There’s also the ambient he would later excel at, but here it’s only a whimsical frill. Slightly interesting for those interested in tracking the early genesis of Ildjarn’s sound, but otherwise a pretty insignificant release.

Overall: 4.5/10

Graveland- The Fire of Awakening (2003)

Between 1993’s In the Glare of Burning Churches demo to 2002’s Memory and Destiny all of Graveland’s major releases ranged from very good to great. Ten years of stellar material is a really impressive accomplishment that few bands can match; but alas, all streaks come to an end. 2003’s The Fire of Awakening is Graveland’s first truly mediocre release. While it’s stylistically not too far off from the prior three albums, exhibiting the same epic pagan metal style, it lacks the originality, inspiration and quality of its predecessors. 

The basic elements that we have all come to expect from Graveland are present here: epic riffs, bellowing synths, militant drumming and Rob’s dry growls. However, nothing is really hitting the spot this time out. The riffs are fairly innocuous and the synths are predictable in their bombast. Rob often goes for overly simplistic and clunky riffs (i.e. the opening riff of “Battle of Wotan's Wolves”) that are well below Graveland’s standard. Other times the music just sounds like an uninspired replication of Creed of Iron.

There is actually a significant addition to The Fire of Awakening. This album marks the introduction of the Atlantean Monumental Choir and Ancient Valkyrian Choir. The introduction of real choirs opens up an entirely new range of possibilities for Graveland. No matter how great Rob’s synth samples are, nothing can replace the power of a group of well-trained human voices. However, here Rob employs the choirs very ineffectively. On albums such as Fire Chariot of Destruction and Will Stronger than Death the choirs make a massive impact; an astute listener will quickly notice that the vocals are far too dynamic to be produced by a synth. In contrast, it would be easy to assume that the vocals on The Fire of Awakening were the product of a keyboard. The vocal lines are monotone and fail to take advantage of the range that is available with a choir. 

Most of the songs on The Fire of Awakening fail to distinguish themselves. The songs are somewhat plodding and feel dragged out. “We Shall Prevail,” is the only track that is really captivating. The way in which the opening stretch of choir builds toward the dramatic lead riff is quite chilling. The other tracks lack such standout moments and all sort of meld into one another. 

While The Fire of Awakening is not a bad album, it is most definitely a pedestrian album. It’s safe, generic and uninspired—certainly well below Graveland’s high standard.  While any musician who keeps at it for long enough will eventually release a few duds, it’s still disappointing when it happens. For that reason, The Fire of Awakening can be described as a big disappointment. 

Overall: 6/10