Black metal is a weird and magical thing. Norse are the kind of band who see that and then raise the bar with a demented approach that can't help but to impress the listener time and time again with what they have conjured up here. The Divine Light Of A New Sun is a stunner of a record, an album that ebbs and flows and impresses the listener with its surreal elegance, all placed within the context of a transcendent and immaculately conceived full length. As you journey through The Divine Light Of A New Sun strange new truths gradually make themselves known to you and the more that you pick apart the more obvious it becomes that this is the sort of black metal band that you don't fuck with. There is something overwhelming, beautiful and strangely intoxicating about the music of Norse. Their riffs are of the sort that you get lost in and the weird assault that they bring crashing down onto your ears is beautiful.
Norse sit somewhere between Tombs and Cobalt in terms of weird experimental sludginess. They aren't afraid to poke their noses into death metal too with a few riffs scattered here and there feeling worthy of a Morbid Angel record. This is the sort of band who profit off of incredible and punishing heaviness in every sense of the word. The escapism of their lyrics and the punch to the gut that is their bottom end make it impossible to wean yourself off of what is going on throughout this release. The band is willing to experiment too, sometimes pushing the boundaries of what black metal songwriting can be. For example look at the magic of a track like 'Telum Vitae' where the throbbing bended bass note acts as a sort of heartbeat for the song. None of this of course would be possible without some top notch production. The band has refined their sound and mix in such a way that it's easy to get lost in even their most experimental outbursts, reminding us again and again why so many have fallen in love with what they do.
The irradiated demented magic of this band and their willingness to embrace sheer ugliness is mind bending. There is a crushing vitality and a strangely inspiring sense of evil that dominates these songs. Yet they integrate a fair amount of rock and roll swagger giving a certain sense of breadth to the music that you might not normally find with this kind of sonic blasphemy. In between the clanking remonstrances you see a band who love to go for the throat and make you all suffer. Norse are masterful songwriters and this record draws you in and refuses to ever spit you out. They have perfected the art of tearing apart the human psyche and then crafting music that can't help but to impress the listener time and time again. Taking a journey through the sonic highways of Norse is a rare treat and one I hope to indulge in time and time again.
Score: 8.5/10
