NIFELHEIM
Envoy of Lucifer
(Regain)

MAGNET SCHOOL
Tonight!
(Arclight)

THE MORNINGSIDE
The Wind the Trees and the Shadows of the Past
(Bad Mood Man)

HORNA
Pimeyden Hehku/Sotahuuto
(Moribund Cult)

THRASHING LIKE A MANIAC
Thrash Metal Revival Compilation
(Earache)

VANCOUVER/ZATOKREV
Split EP 

(Get a Life!)

JARBOE-JUSTIN K 
BROADRICK
J2

(The End)

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It’s easy to laugh at these Swedes. Be it because they are old (and some bold but stubborn enough to keep the mane), wear lots of tight leather, make plenty of funny faces, clearly adore spikes, nails and studs and go by funny haha names like Hellbutcher, Tyrant, Apocalyptic Desolator, Insulter of Jesus Christ! (yes, the ‘!’ is included) and Vengeance From Beyond (which here even qualifies as an actual name).  But how much do you want to bet that nodding in acceptance to all of the above will qualify you as a fucking wimp. An untrue metalhead that shall be slayed, or even better, impaled with a Tabasco dipped stake (whatever is more convenient and messier) by the hordes of true underground lovers. A short sighted man (or woman) unable to see that traditional black metal, especially of the blackened kind (a cool fucking logo influenced by Batman’s and with spiderweb included…Death anyone? Is a must), is where it’s at. Fuck technology, fuck evolution. And especially, fuck your orchestrated gothic slants. Or your record deals with majors (everyone knows that Satan doesn’t approve of monetary success.)  I want my Satanism ultra funny. But kick ass!

Nuff said. Envoy of Lucifer, the band’s fifth full-length, sixth if you count their 2006 split with Brazilian influencers Vulcano, is absolutely killer. A devastating listen. One of those relentless punches that seems to come with a thousand aftershocks. And is of those releases that makes the most of everything, including the artwork.  Their intentions are clear, if Nifelheim is back it’s because they have a motive to rock, and rock they do. The riffs that open the first song “Infernal Flame of Destruction” fly by, they are thin jagged razors that if used properly their capacity as a weapon is manifested. Once the pace is set there is no letting go, Nifelheim go on a relentless pace spewing blasphemy and aural hate because that was what they were born to do.

In many ways, Nifelheim is the kind of band that has taken the early black metal influences and has perfected the style. Take the sloppy primitivism of Venom, its spirit is latent in Envoy of Lucifer, except these Swedes can draw piss circles with their dicks on top of the accidental looseness of Black Metal. Top track? “Storm of the Reaper”, it is an absolute heavy metal classic, it could have come from the NWOBHM, but instead it comes from the NWOSBSFM. That is the acronym for New Wave of Swedish Blackened and Smoked Funny Metal. And don’t you dare make fun of Nifelheim.

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