Norwegian black metal obscuros Djevelkult hail from the small town of Gjøvik. But don’t let the size of the group’s home or the town’s coat of arms (Cygnus cygnus) deter from Djevelkult’s resurrection success of early ’90s black metal (the past is alive!) on new album, Når Avgrunnen Åpnes. While Djevelkult’s closest relatives are early stage Tsjuder, Ragnarok, Manes, and Gehenna, they by no means are subject to crass appropriation. It’s all done in the spirit of times now way behind us.
Tracks like “Atomic Holocaust,” “En Ny Tid,” “An Evil Unheard Of,” and the title track feel like they were recorded by Pytten at Grieghallen. The riffs are signature–a blend of the pre-Second Wave classics, obviously–the vocals tortured (and distant), and the drums pounding (with the high-hat prominent in the mix). Whether it was recorded using old techniques or designed to sound like it’s yanked out of spring of 1992 is a future Djevelkult question, but it’s all there. Now, there’s more to Når Avgrunnen Åpnes than an apocalypse horse ride back in time. Throughout the Norwegians’ second full-length (first for Finnish indie Saturnal Records), they inject their own musical vision (like the stately melody in “Condemned Into Eternal Void” or the end of “An Evil Unheard Of”) to fashion a pan-era black metal beast.
And they’re not too jovial about it either. Says Djevelkult in a prepared statement: “We are proud to release our strongest album yet. Når Avgrunnen Åpnes follows the foundation laid by I Djevelens Tegn, channeling the energy with increased strength. Filled with hatred for the gods of men we will cleanse the Earth with our diabolical hymns, ultimately condemning the world into the eternal void.”
Decibel and Saturnal Records herewith and hereby present Djevelkult’s Når Avgrunnen Åpnes. Burn!
** Djevelkult’s new full-length “Når Avgrunnen Åpnes” is out May 25th on Saturnal Records. Order it HERE and watch the world burn in flames.
