Black metal and I have a tricky relationship. On the one hand, I like quite a bit of the output of the bigger “names” in the scene, especially the classic era of Norwegian Black Metal and some of the Black Metal-adjacent stuff of the last few years; on the other hand, quite a lot of what is pumped out is – to put not too fine a point on it – rubbish. One of the key features of a lot of black metal dross is when the “band” turns out to be just one person. It’s one of the ways in which a red flag is raised with me.
Well, Blodhemn have been on the go since 2004, are Norwegian, and feature a single mutli-instrumentalist, “Invisus”. Red flags were raised. That being said, I have been very pleasantly surprised, because “Sverger Hemn” is a pretty damn good release. It seems as if many of the tracks here have a theme based around the sea or water, but musically there is a whole lot more than just bog-standard Darkthrone worship to be found here. This is a real melting pot of a release, with lots of actual headbanging sessions alongside the normal high-tempo guitar work and high pitched shrieking. “Vil Livet av Deg” has a pretty chunky thrash vibe to it alongside the blackened approach, owing as much to mid-period Sodom as it does more of their Norwegian forebears.
I also really appreciate the musicianship here – there are some fantastic killer riffs to be found, and the whole shebang clips along at a fair rate too. There are sections of tracks that have a real rock and roll feel to them, while never sacrificing the heaviness or intent. If a song called “Bomb Bergen” doesn’t give you an indication of where the album fits, I don’t know what other clues I can give you! Probably the best thing I can say about this release is that while it is undeniably a black metal album, it carries a whole bunch of influences from across the heavy metal spectrum. There are some great solos within that carry the spirit of true metal, some really chunky thrash riffs, and even some Voivod-esque dissonant oblique guitar sections that feel like the aural equivalent of staring at an Escher painting for too long.
Production-wise, this thing is an absolute beast. It’s a rare trick to be able to capture the ferocity of what black metal has to offer,but with also delivering power and weight to it. That is done in spades here. How on earth they managed to produce something so finely balanced and clear I don’t know, but other bands in this space should take notes.
Unexpected, unconventional and unmissable.
(8.5/10 Chris Davison)
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