Blodhemn

Holmengraa

Written by: EW on 09/10/2012 22:47:54

Another black metal band from Norway and another with quality written all over it, on debut album "Holmengraa" Blodhemn have put out a release many of the others who worship at the altar of the genre gods would love to call their own. Far from being a mere clone of their revered forbearers however, Blodhemn have instilled a mark of their own in the bristling and perfectly produced riffs which thunder into your ears at every moment in this 7 song opus at such a rate you would think riffing will be out of fashion any time soon. Melodically-inclined thrashing black metal this is, no further questions needed and created all by one man (astonishing – I had no clue of this through multiple listens until reading into the band).

With crystal clear production bringing out the requisite icy cold crustiness to the guitars defining this as an album very much of its time and genre, Blodhemn clearly come from a heritage of BM worship. "Thingvellir" has a distinctly Immortal edge to it, "Rettersted" a Dissection feel, "Maanelyst" and "Televir" a Taake one. Longest of their own tracks, "Televir" takes a minute to fire into life but has a scintillating rhythmic core once it does so. Mid-fast paced for the majority and with the fairly typical raspy vocals of Invisus, Blodhemn are not pushing the boundaries of the genre but exacting a very fine example of how to use it's key influences in producing a highly-tuned adaption of the formula.

Closing out with a sterling cover of Dissection's classic (I very much doubt there are any non-classics of their first two releases) "Black Horizons", "Holmengraa" has the kind of feel to it where one can hardly mark it down in any department other than for originality. In listening to the album intermittently over a couple of months I can attest for having discovered new features within it’s construct every time, and while it is not expanding the vast boundaries of black metal any further handles greatly the desire to pay credit to the genre and add another solid record to it’s arsenal.

Download: Rettersted, Thingvellir
For The Fans Of: Taake, Immortal, Dissection, Thulcandra, Dark Fortress

Listen: Myspace

Release date: 18.05.2012
Indie Recordings

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