Time for some black metal! True Norwegian black metal that is! Svartahrid was formed in 1994, and Sadness And Wrath is their third full length album. Let’s see how it sounds!

Well for what I’m used to in black metal, this is quite a nice release from this band. I don’t know any of their other material, but judging from their bio they’ve had their share of line-up and label problems. This album was actually recorded in 2003 and is released this year, must have been a load of their minds!

 

Svartahrid kind of mixes the brutal black metal bashing with depressing black melodies, creating a varying sound which is still undeniably black metal. That trademark buzzing guitar sound is heard from the start of Sadness And Wrath up until the very end, but yet due to the variation between the brutal and melodic parts it never really gets irritating. Especially in the more melodic parts, where a keyboard occasionally pops up, the music breathes a kind of enchanting atmosphere. Quite nice.

 

I think most fans of black metal will be pleased when hearing this record. It didn’t bother me too much (as I am not a fan of black metal usually), and actually pleased me at some points. So all you grim and cold corpses out there, check out Svartahrid!!!