Gjenferdsel – Varde (2010)

Hailing from Norway we have yet another Black Metal band!, and this one is one of the good ones from what we can hear with “Varde”. This two man outfit has a very similar sound to Gorgoroth and we really dig their music. But don’t think they are a carbon copy since they add their own elements to make their sound different.

As you know we don’t usually compare bands to the all-mighty Gorgoroth unless they are pretty solid and Gjenferdsel has won this comparison based on their efforts over the years. Varde” is the band’s second full-length album and features 10 songs all sang in Norwegian, adding that extra level of authenticity to the bands music.

With a very enigmatic intro, the band builds enough expectation for the aural assaults that await you with “Illverk” and never let’s go from here. The riffing and drumming is top notch and quickly gets you in the Norwegian BM mode from the second song until the end of the album. The brief use of different vocals through the album briefly makes songs interesting a bit more appealing that if there were only shrieks through the album.

One of our favorite things about “Varde” is the distortion used, very similar to Gorgoroth’s (and others), gives the riffs a very powerful sound that will stick in your head for days to come. The drumming, like we mentioned, is very solid and perfectly recorded and mixed to highlight all the details behind it.

The band’s music is both aggressive and melodic, something that we really enjoy in BM bands. While we appreciate the 10,000 bpm sections, we like to have some sort of melody behind our BM. The band members are great at creating catchy BM tunes. While the whole album is not a complete revelation in originality, we appreciate the way this band approached BM.

“Varde” is a true gem in terms of underground Black Metal releases and we hope that Gjenferdsel gets the recognition they deserve with this fine release. So you read it here BM fans, go and get “Varde” before everybody is talking about them and you don’t know what you are missing.

Release: April 3rd, 2010

Country: Norway