Den Saakaldte - Pesten Som Tar Over (2023)

Unleashing a hefty dose of Norwegian Black Metal, today we have Den Saakaldte and their first release in nearly eight years: “Pesten Som Tar Over”. Originally started as a one man project, this now band returns with a vengeance delivering over 60 minutes of dense music. For fans of bands like Ved Buens Ende, Dold Vorde Ens Navn, and similar outfits, this release is filled with crafty riffs and hellish vocals.

When bands go dark for some years, there is always the concern that they might come back sounding dated, however, this is definitely not the case here as “Av Satans ild” is a fierce opening track showing the band didn’t miss a beat. Incisive guitar work alongside your traditional BM snarl, provide a nice core for that Norwegian BM sound, as shown in tracks like “Dødstrett av alt” and “En ode til spinnersken”, which are both over eight minutes long. These longer form songs allow for moody tempo changes and a nicer flow within songs.

Creating a very decadent atmosphere, the album title track unleashes 11-minutes of headbanging glory thanks to its mid-tempo passages and furious aggressive onslaughts. There are definitely some superbly catchy pieces like “Hat”, that feature that crisp guitar distortion alongside some intense tremolo picking sections and blast beats. Packing in a few additional surprises, this is by far one of the best songs in this release.

Closing with another banger: “Den Stormen i Oktober”, the band has set very very high expectations from them in the future. Den Saakaldte is not messing around and returns with a pummeling release filled with that nostalgic Norwegian Black Metal essence, but with a twist of their own. The album feels fresh and very well crafted, alongside being over one hour long, this is definitely one of the best Black Metal releases of 2023.

Label: Agonia Records

Release: September 29th, 2023

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Norway