According to Russian linguistic experts, appending the suffix “ka” to the end of a word is to mean it’s little or so small it’s cute. In the case of Portland, Oregon’s sludge doom outfit Norska, there’s nothing on the group’s self-titled new album that’s easily identifiable as “little” or “cute”. It’s the opposite, actually. Elongated songs, slurred tempos, and a roar that’d make any Russian teenage girl with a Fendi bag recoil in horror are Norska’s rule rather than exceptions.
That’s the least interesting tidbit about Norska. Sure, they can cram 40 minutes into five songs—a sort of doom metal threshold—but members of Norska also consider lauded sludge doom darlings Yob as home. So, really Norska is an extension of Yob under a different guise with slightly different intentions. Yet both manage to alter states, which is exactly the sort of thing music of this edge should accomplish.
Time to zone out out on a lawn chair and look for the stars to the serious sounds of Norska. Cute, eh?
** Norska’s new self-titled album is out September 18th (that’s tomorrow for those of you without a calendar) on Brutal Panda Records. It’s available HERE on finely formed wax, which is limited to 500 copies universe-wide, broken down into 200 Olive/Forest Green, 300 black, and 10 test presses. Hey, that’s 510 copies universe-wide. Crafty bitches.
