It is perhaps getting a little repetitive to talk about Covid, the lockdowns and the impact of coming to terms with a new norm as society reopened had on peoples’ mental health but that doesn’t mean that the subject is any less important or that the problem has gone away. The essence of this has been vividly captured on this album which was conceived and created during these challenging times and perfectly reflects the zeitgeist of the time.
‘Angstkrig’ (Danish for “Anxiety War”) is the band’s second album, following 2021’s Skyggespil, and it is very impressive. The focus remains blackened death metal, with the emphasis on black metal but there are nice melodic interludes in places resulting in layered brutality punctuated with melody.
There are several elements of Scandinavian black metal incorporated here including groove, melancholy, melody and of course vitriol but the album does explore different directions. ‘Luk Dine Øjne’ opens with a screaming guitar solo before erupting into cold black metal with rasping vocals before clean vocals add an additional layer. In contrast ‘Midt i en Angstkrig’ features Danish rapper Jøden who bringing a completely different feel, almost like Faith No More or even Red Hot Chilli Peppers. In some ways it feels a little out of place but it definitely adds another dimension to proceedings.
There is more of a groove feel to ‘Kaprede Sind’ before ‘Ulægelige Sår’ returns the vitriol with vocals being spewed forth with venom As the song develops there is a nice black n roll feel to it too. There is an unsettling atmosphere created on ‘Uro’ (which translates to “unrest” and was written trying to capture essence of an anxiety attack) thanks to its staccato riffing and snarled vocals.
In short, this is a great album. It is well layered and incorporates many elements but maintains its melancholy and aggression. It will definitely come to its own in the live setting and I hope I get the chance to catch them soon.
(8.5/10 Andy Pountney)
Leave a Reply