Nattverd – Vandring

Band: Nattverd
Title: Vandring
Label: Osmose Productions
Release date: 30 April 2021
Country: Norway 
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

This is what I call a devastating album… from start to finish. I’m not familiar with Nattverd, but since I listened to “Vandring” for the first time, I thought I had to write my own words about it. ‘Cause it doesn’t happen so often that an album has the power to knock me out (in a good sense) as this one has done…

So, what we’ve got here is 8 impressive tracks of Black Metal with that Nordic feel that I’m learning to distinguish in bands coming from these countries. Nattverd hails from Norway, and even for a person (like me) who’s only been familiar to Black Metal since a few years ago, the icy evocation of Nordic landscapes is instantly found here. This is mainly due to the intense union between raw (but with clear sound) riffs, and the so brutally well played drums, with plenty of blast beats. With addition (of course) of tortured and hellish vocals, the overall sound is a brutal delight to the ears.

But this fantastic album is not only about aggressive and relentless rhythms; there’s also A LOT OF melody in it, and great atmospheric moments that have the effect of an unbearable explosion of feelings in me. Just listen to the third track, “Naar taaken fortaerer alt”, and you’ll understand what I mean. The dramatic sound of the piano in this song makes it breathtaking, epic, ethereal for a magical moment. I found myself holding my breath in fear of inspiring again, I melted down, totally beaten… until “Med rive og lime” started with a bestial roar and its engulfing brutality. I must highlight the perfect use of the cymbals in this song, I love its sound amongst the repetitive tremolo riffs.

This album has a cathartic effect, by listening to it on repeat (yeah, try to listen to it only once!) I feel relieved, washed away through epic and desolate landscapes, and when all the anger and fury has already been played, there’s only a renewed feeling of calm remaining. The last song, “Langt der borte i det fjerne” is the longest one (8 minutes and a half) and it’s the perfect final journey through this Black Metal oddissey. 9/10  Sílvia

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9/10 Epic Storm
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