Written by Zax
- Åskog – Varþnaþer
- Black Metal from Sweden
- Releasing independently on May 12th, 2021
- 8/10
Sweden has been home to some of the world’s finest black metal and extreme metal in general, from Bathory to Naglfar, and one of its newer contributions, Åskog, and their debut album Varþnaþer set for release on May 12th, have caught my eye.
This new record is an eclectic black metal masterpiece, which makes it worth talking about regardless, but a couple of weeks ago these guys exposed a shitty PR firm that really messed with the release of the record, and because of that and how much I enjoyed the album, I want to make sure this album gets the hype it deserves.
This album is easily the most bloody, cutthroat black metal album I’ve heard in a while. It isn’t precisely blackened death metal, but the opening track “Svält” definitely has a very distinct sort of intensity that I believe lies in the pummeling drum performance and tearing riffs.
That track caught my interest, but the second track, “Vinter” got my attention. That track has this epic winding bassline that got me going dude, it’s high up in the mix and flows over the listener like liquid. The bass is consistently astounding throughout the whole record and truly elevates the music to a whole new level.
The riffs are also pretty catchy and well-written, definitely going to be memorable down the line. Vocalist Lars Hansson has a very blood curdling scream that sounds like it’s broadcasting from the depths of hell. Aesthetically the album has some other features it pulls out to accentuate the awesome metal, like the clean group vocals they bring out in the ladder half of the album.
These guys really hit it out of the park, such a fiery and intense debut. I wish these guys the best in the release of the album and I hope y’all will give this one a go. Crazy stuff.
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