Kampfar: Ofidians Manifest (2019)

Kampfar is yet another one of those black metal bands that I have heard good things about for a very long time, yet never got around to checking them out (like Shining and Drudkh).  They have been around since the mid 1990's and have released eight full-length albums, yet this is the first album I have heard.  Part of that may have been due to the language barrier.  Otherwise, it is likely they just were not completely on my radar.  As a result of this discovery of the band, I am hearing them fresh and do not have the reference points in the band's career to compare this.

In a couple of ways, this release reminds me of Theogonia by Rotting Christ.  First of all, musically.  Kampfar combines traditional Norwegian black metal with pagan and folk influences, including chanted vocals.  Now obviously the pagan and folk influences on this Kampfar release differ in origin to the Rotting Christ album.  Kampfar, being Norwegian, would obviously have different folk music to pull influence from than the Greek band Rotting Christ.  The folk elements complement the otherwise dark and grim black metal riffing quite well, making this a very intriguing listen.

The second way in which this album reminds me of Theogonia is due to my own personal experience with it.  Like Theogonia for Rotting Christ, this is my first experience with Kampfar and is their newest release.  I had the same response to this album, being one of awe and amazement, for the most part.  The album does tend to drag a little bit toward the end.  And so time will tell if I get into Kampfar as much as I did Rotting Christ.

I found myself extremely impressed by this release by Kampfar.  It is a terrific example of taking disparate influences like black metal and traditional folk music and combining them into something beautiful and powerful.  Obviously many bands have been doing this for quite some time, and of course Kampfar is one of them, but they still make it sound new and fresh.

Aura Noir: Aura Noire (2018)

Aura Noir is one of those bands who I have accumulated a few albums by, but rarely really target when a new album is released.  In fact, I had no idea this album came out last year.  The last one I remember was 2012's Out to Die.  Part of the issue probably is that the band takes a long time between releases.  It is odd though, because this is definitely the type of band I should be more into, given their blackened thrash metal sound and featuring the guitar work of the notorious Blasphemer, formerly of Mayhem.

The band presents more of a stripped-down and raw sound this time around.  The sound is reminiscent of a combination of early Sodom and Venom with some Nocturnal Breed thrown in.  Track "Mordant Wind" even has some early Voivod influence to it.  Many of the riffs, particularly that in the aforementioned song and "Demoniac Flow", have a rusty, mechanical quality to them.  It sounds like the rampage of a 70 ton war machine.  The vocals, which sound as if Aggressor has been gargling with battery acid, fit well with the war anthems within.  It is an interesting classic metal feel that is quite a bit different than the band's earlier material.

It is kind of a tough call as to whether I prefer this album or the previous one.  They are very different takes on the blackened thrash metal sound.  This one is more comparable to the earliest days of black metal when thrash was just crossing over.  The previous album is a much more modern take.  I guess it all depends on what kind of mood I am in.  Sometimes, I want some 80's style blackened thrash, and when that is the case, this album will do quite nicely.

FMA Reviews: God Seed: I Begin

Originally reviewed here.

Any discussion of God Seed will necessarily include some discussion about the band's origins. The album title here is particularly apt because of this. God Seed is made up of King ov Hell and Gaahl, formerly of black metal psychos Gorgoroth. In actuality, these two members attempted to carry forward with the name Gorgoroth after splitting from Infernus. A lengthy court battle ensued with Infernus actually being granted the rights to the name Gorgoroth. In the meantime, God Seed formed for a couple of months and then disbanded when Gaahl retired temporarily. King used the material written for God Seed for a project with Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath which was called Ov Hell. Gaahl eventually returned and God Seed was formed.

God Seed has already released a live album from Wacken and a single. This is the debut full-length however and the first exposure that a lot of people will get to the band. Expectations are certainly high as Gorgoroth has been a stalwart in the Norwegian black metal scene for a very long time.

Gorgoroth has always been known for particularly hateful black metal that had moments of softness to it. God Seed for the most part follows this same formula. The riffs are explosive and Earth-shaking. The atmosphere is still cold and terrifying. One of the things that I always liked most about Gorgoroth was their ability to be punishing and brutal one second and be dissonant and unsettling the next. God Seed accomplishes this same fluid shift throughout most of this album. For example, the band shifts easily from the darkwave-sounding "Hinstu Daga" to the much more traditional black metal crunch of "Aldrande Tre".

The truly unusual moments are the usage of electronics, keyboards, and organs. Gorgoroth did not do a lot of experimenting with different instrumentation in their releases, but God Seed actually employs a member to play the keyboards. This is kind of an unusual thing for a black metal band that does not fall into the melodic black metal genre. But the keyboard moments do work. They add a certain unsettling flair to the already destructive and evil riffing and vocals.

This is a widely varied album. Gorgoroth had been working towards that and perfected it. Their early albums were simply fast barrages of riffs. The band slowly added more and more atmosphere to their music. God Seed does a fantastic job in carrying this forward on this release. Gaahl's vocals fit in well with this constantly evolving sound. He uses a variety of vocal styles from high-pitched rasp, to deep-throated bellow, to some actual clean moments. One thing is for certain though, they are never boring.

So we finally got that God Seed album from the dismissed members of Gorgoroth and it is everything it was hoped to be. This album proves that the second wave Norwegian black metal band members are still capable of putting out some high-quality releases.