I’ve never really had an issue with black metal going into better production, cleaner processes, because there are a lot of really talented bands in the mix whose music sounds better with a bit of a professional edge. But that’s not across the board, and there remain artists whose chops are just as sharp who’d rather go the primal route.
It is one of the least shocking things in the world to learn that Nordic black metal duo Avmakt came to the attention of Darkthrone’s Fenriz and Peaceville Records, as this band practically sounds like they were created in their dingy lab. I mean that in a good way. The band’s debut record “Satanic Inversion Of…” is six tracks, 44 minutes of scuffed-up black metal that sounds born in a garage or cave as this duo—Rolf Kristian Valbo (drums, vocals and bass) and Christoffer Bråthen (guitars, vocals and bass)—channels 30 years ago to feast from the roots of the subgenre. This is channeled and bruising, an infernal joy to behold, even if some of the songs tick a little longer than they should. Minor qualm.
“Ordinance” explode with riffs, and riffs are a major part of this record. As is raw chaos, and that continues as the playing rampages, howls roaring through time, the speed spitting and turning chaos. The ground quakes as the relentless terror continues to strike, mangling to a finish. “Poison Reveal” thrashes and plasters, racing and crushing as your brain is squeezed for all its juices. The drums decimate as grim, creaky howls chew nerves, numbing and flattening whatever is in front of them. Both voices unite for destruction as a volcanic fury splatters lava. “Sharpening Blades of Cynicism” bashes away, fiery hell conjured, guitars zapping as the pace tramples in mud. The playing turns blinding, laying waste and extinguishing the life of their adversaries, the playing leaving deep bruising. Guitars ring out as the band slowly thrashes, bringing everything to a hazy, noisy finish.
“Towing Oblivion” opens already unglued, the drums smashing away and fueling a relentless assault that won’t quit. Riffs torch as the growls wrench, the playing speeding up and punching back, the guitars turning guts inside out, a calculated beating disappearing into a feedback halo. “Charred” feels doomier and darker, stretching as moody leads turn vicious, a haunting turn blackening skies. Guitars race as the howls engulf, melodies hypnotizing and drowning into filth. Closer “Doubt and the Void” bludgeons, growls creaking over a bone-breaking pace, guitars lathering as noise causes brush burns. The playing goes off as growls stiffen, guitars blazing as the relentless pace keeps blackening eyes. Numbing power sets in as wild howls race into the night, the drums streak blood, and the guitars churn and smoke the senses.
Avmakt certainly are in a good place at Peaceville, where like-minded Darkthrone can watch over this budding band that makes a fiery first impression on “Satanic Inversion Of…” Again, it’s not that these guys have aped their heroes by any means, but they do carry the same raw aggression and incendiary black metal but with their own devious charm. This is a stellar debut, once that might benefit from a bit of editing but is promising nonetheless.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Avmakt/
To buy the album, go here: https://usa-peaceville.myshopify.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://peaceville.com/
Meat Mead Metal 