Nordjevel – Gnavhól
Release Date: 23rd September 2022
Label: Indie Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Extreme Metal.
FFO: Marduk, Morbid Angel, Zyklon, 1349, Blasphemy, Belphegor, Dark Funeral.
Review By: Joe McKenna
Driven by war, destruction, and an esoteric belief for darkness, Nordjevel encapsulates black metal in its most bleak and provocative form. Entering the black metal scene back in 2015, the band have spread their sinister musical qualities across a range of platforms such as Inferno, Kaltenbach Open Air, Wacken, Hellfest, Bloodstock, Maryland Deathfest and In Flammen Open Air where they have made their mark, exposing new listeners to an infernal rage of barbaric and extreme sound. Conceived by musician Doedsadmiral, Nordjevel also feature members from Dark Funeral and Myrkskog and debuted their self-titled album in 2016, shortly followed by 2019’s Necrogenecis and the 2021 EP Fenriir already giving the band an established back catalogue of sinister tracks. 2022 now sees the release of the band’s latest effort Gnavhól which can prove their legitimacy as brutal heavyweight contenders of the global black metal scene.
From the outset, the record opens with fierce vengeance in the form of unrelenting blast beats and fast-driven tempos that breathe out vast levels of velocity. The guitars undertake a traditional black metal aesthetic with lots of rhythmic development for the most part, however, they often tend to drift into a technical direction with piercing death metal riffs that add to the music’s overall dissonant and abrasive feel. The vocals are further enhanced by Doedsadmiral’s violent and vigorous delivery, that only further amplifies the essence of darkness and destruction.
There is a real evil and self-destructive aura that surrounds this album, one that any decent black metal album should have. The anti-religious and satanic themes further make their mark in true Norwegian black metal style, particularly on tracks such as Satan’s Manifest and Antichrist Flesh, where they bring a twisted sense of wickedness and entrenches itself in darkness. Yet, it should be noted how well implemented the technical playing is performed, for example on the track Spores Of Gnosis shows some blackened and melodic death metal influences through spine-chilling guitar harmonies and razor-sharp riffs. The latter half of the album certainly shows off this more melodic direction in periods, between the dissonant chord progressions and furious blast beat percussive rhythms, comes this unique pairing of technical flair and dark melodies that offer some subtle progressiveness.
Generally speaking, Gnavhól does what it sets out to achieve, generating a dark, mystical atmosphere through remorseless, energetic, and mean-spirited black metal that honours the classic Norwegian tradition through any self-destructive and diabolical means necessary. At the same time, Nordjevel seem to be offering something different in order to carve out their own musical identity. They relish in this unique technicality and brooding melodic distinctiveness that adds a new dimension to their sound, and whilst they seem to have already established a sinister and ominous presence on previous album’s, it appears that the band are eager to explore new and more obscure musical territories. 
(3.5 / 5)
