1349, the band, is a call-back to the days when black metal in Norway was dangerous and chaotic. Very few of the Norwegian bands continued to sound like this. Darkthrone and Satyricon both went in more of a heavy metal direction, Mayhem went completely bonkers, and Emperor broke up. 1349 came late to the game, but kept the spirit of early 90's Norwegian black metal alive. The band softened their sound and went in more of an experimental, atmospheric direction on 2009's Revelations of the Black Flame, but that was a critical flop and the band returned to its wicked ways on the next album.
This album features the tried-and-true 1349 formula. Manic drumming, shrieking vocals, faster than hell riffs, and pure fucking chaos. The drumming in particular deserves mention. Behind the kit is the legendary Frost who has spent time in several noteworthy Norwegian black metal bands, including Satyricon, Gorgoroth, Gehenna and Keep of Kalessin. His abilities are matched by few others in the genre and he is at the top of his game here. And vocalist Ravn delivers his finest performance yet.
Where this album really succeeds is in the songwriting department. Where several previous 1349 albums featured a number of great ideas, but struggled to keep things together on an entire album, this album feels like a cohesive whole. There is not a single weak track on this album.
I may have to revisit my prior 1349 albums, but I can honestly say that I think this one tops them all. This is one of the greatest Norwegian black metal albums in years. It absolutely captures all of the feeling of rage and intensity that the early 90's albums had. 1349 has truly come into their own on this album. Unfortunately, they have yet to release a follow-up in the five years since this album. They did release a two-song EP this year, so hopefully we have not heard the last from 1349.
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