Nowadays, the realm of black metal seems to be split fairly evenly between all the post-black metal stuff and the continued re-ignition of the orthodox second-wave spirit of old. What's entirely less common, and often overlooked, is the strain of black metal perpetuated by bands like Nidingr. Hailing from Norway, its founding member Teloch (Morten B. Iversen) currently plays guitar for a band you may have heard of called Mayhem. He also spent much of the last several years plying his trade with the likes of the mercurial and polarizing Amalie Bruun of Myrkur. Clearly he is a man motivated by his art, and not what is being spoken of on the message boards.
Teloch began Nidingr way back in 1992 under a different moniker (Audr), his involvement in the nascent black metal scene both timely and integral. Early 2017 sees the release of only the fourth full-length Nidingr album on Indie Recordings. Dubbed The High Heat Licks Against Heaven, the album's cover is reminiscent of something their unconventional countrymen in Solefald might come up with; at once evocative of Norse heritage, it also conveys some of the martial, atavistic spirit with which Teloch carved up the latest Mayhem album. His guitar tones advance the ice-cold, open chords that one might associate with the old Moonfog Records sound, particularly that used by Snørre Ruch (Thorns).
The High Heat Licks Against Heaven wastes no time, berating the listener immediately on swift opener 'Hangaguð.' Immediately noticeable is the effective, almost playful bass tones of Stian Kårstad (aka Sir), giving a proggy feel to otherwise brutal battery by drummer Øyvind Myrvoll. The juxtaposition helps give dynamics to the music. 'Surtr' continues this, with a bit of a shift in tempo. The vocals of Alf Almèn (aka Capt. Estrella Grasa), upon the first listens, are extremely powerful and highly enunciated for this style of music. What becomes apparent is that, lyrically, there is a lot on offer. Literary, visual, each song tells a tale.
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'The Ballad of Hamther' is more conventionally heavy, with some chugging parts guaranteed to churn up the pit. Almèn's vocals could sit at home in a hardcore band. Overtop Teloch's atonal riffing, underpinned by those drums, the result is sweet battery. Its like being read the Norse sagas by a particularly aggressive weightlifting coach. The spoken word toward the end grew on me, with those creepy muted chords being strummed in the background. Nidingr is certainly creative and their efforts stand out in the world of modern day black metal. The sound on this new one differs from their prior album, 2012's The Greastest of Deceivers, somewhat minimally. Myrvoll's snare is a bit less wet-cardboard sounding, for one thing. Both productions worked, however, on The High Heat Licks Against Heaven, Myrvoll sounds that much clearer.
Nidingr shift up their attack in places, opening the vaults of the mind on 'When Naglfar is Loosed.' The expansive presentation exhibited by a band like Behemoth stands out here, Almèn even sounding a little bit like Nergal's bellowing cadence in those slower numbers. Offsetting the somber ballad is the voice of the aforesaid Amalie Bruun, who lends her crystalline soprano to help elevate the song even further.
The left-of-center 'Gleipnir' is another interesting foray. Trippy, driven by Kårstad's bass tones (really starting to dig this guy's four-string style). The open chords of Teloch are given a meaty undertone by the rhythm section, and fans of extreme music of all types should find something here.
Despite these sojourns into genre-fluid territory, Nidingr enjoys returning to the sub-four minute bursts of high energy rockers like the headbanging, straight-ahead 'Sol Taker' and the vocally diverse 'Valkyries Assemble.' The album never settles into a predictable pattern, though. 'Ash Yggdrasil,' with its Ulver meets Mayhem dreaminess, glimpses the abyss of nihilistic despair. The riffs and licks literally sound like Teloch wanted to use them for the last Mayhem album. For those that enjoyed his work with the titans of True Norwegian Black Metal, the similarities should be most satisfying here.
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One of the strongest songs on the new album, 'Heimdalrgaldr' sounds like what would happen if Dødheimsgard collided with Einherjer and about three tabs of LSD. Nidingr again tries for a new approach to the familiar themes of their region's extreme metal. While they're not as compositionally elaborate as a band like Enslaved, who have similarly expanded this template, Nidingr manage to carve out a stylistically interesting path to Valhalla. Ultra modern black metal with a temporal shift back to elder chapters of Norse mythology, The High Heat Licks Against Heaven blends its disparate elements into an absorbing listen, and as such makes it one of the stronger releases of the (still) new year.
Score: 8.5 /10
