Drive, determination and a real hunger seem to be the mind-set of trollish overlord Shamaatae these days. After a fairly lengthy period between albums that saw his writing taking over for a decade between 1998 album Kampen and 2008 return Antikosmos he has been a blur or a blaze of action. On his eighth album and fifth in five years we continue down the exploratory path fusing his love of old Norse legends and folklore with the Old Gods as well no doubt with more than a touch of the chaos-gnosticism that he adheres to. Summing this up in a musical form cannot be easy but he has done the job here with formidable prowess and also thankfully provided a fair bit of insight into this for us in the process.
Fenris is a name you probably are aware of, the wolf whose task was to pluck the moon from the sky after breaking free of his chains and gulping it along with the sun down and bringing about Ragnarok in the process. Things begin with one of many atmospheric passages that are really intriguing and filled with evil cackles and growls from beyond the void itself. Sound bristles and it is easy to put this in a Lovecraftian context although this is no doubt not the setting that its author had in mind within the context of the narrative. A lone guitar chord builds and as this opening piece moves to ‘Tungls Tjúgar’ the moon thief is very much unleashed. Guitar is jagged and flails about the scale as it grates and the drumming is tribal and almost ritualistic as the track moves into a feral mid-paced canter. The vocals are beastly and suitably gravid and no doubt again sang in their old Swedish dialect and you have the feeling you are being led on a journey which is fantastical and full of danger.
We are informed that Shamaatae envisioned this journey as being the march of Fenris with his hordes of giant wolves rising and swarming on a war like rampage. You can really feel this as the music attacks and does indeed swarm. The fervour of the pummelling black assault that is Dólgrinn charges with a punk like swagger and foul breathed death grunt urging the hordes ever onward. Although structure wise the riffs and playing style strike as quite simply conveyed there is stacks going on beneath the surface. Vocals are ever changing at some points lurking so low in the range they sound really inhuman, at others breaking through spoken and backward masked. The violin is utilised and brings folk etched devilish tones to the music and really adds to the sinister feel as it eerily tinges the senses and allows you to take a breath from the burgeoning blackness.
The swarm is never far away though and the almost spellbinding passages of ambient dread really contextualise the album into a soundtrack orientated realm. It would be wrong to put it in a league with Lord Of The Rings as it is far more apocalyptic and dreadful as anything there but then again, marching Orcs and demonic forces, you can see that a bit perhaps. To put this in a film though would be terrifying and I would love to hear a whole album in the style of a track such as ‘Vargøld. The drive of Angrboða drops in and snaps you back into life though and is a real belter of a number completely contrasting stylistically. The addition of a brief shamanic like burst of female vocals courtesy of Lena Klarström is both unexpected but incredibly well placed bringing yet more depth to the overall album. Weaving towards completion and it is as though the very fate of mankind lies in the balance, will we survive and will there be another chapter or will Ragnarok prevail?
I admit I had this a long time before the release date and due to an interview being done elsewhere I have played Fenris Kindir loads which may explain why it has had quite such an impact but this really has ticked my two boxes providing extremity and a wealth of atmosphere that has had my imagination running riot. Excellent stuff and I hope this impetus and the music keeps flowing.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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