Nattverd – Styggdom (Rot in Bed Black Metal)
Rarely do I bother with straight-up, “you’ve heard this,” “I’ve heard this,” “everyone has heard this” black metal, from Norway even. The greats are mere vessels of fandom, or gone, the LPs keep getting repressed for who knows what reason, and aside from a track or two out of an entire discography, most of it hasn’t aged well. It’s not that classic can’t be good, I’ve said many times it can, it’s just boring. If it doesn’t bore you, you’re already lost. Like an icy winter must turn to spring, so do the tides of black metal withdraw. But hey, now and again, I admit, I’m a loser and I like that icy winter beast blast when it returns. Again I rule contradictory realms.
I’d heard of Nattverd before, but totally ignored them, aside from the generally cool cover art which featured that bleak, anti-human, folkish quality that partially awakens my interest. So I said okay now let’s give it a shot because this cover is boss. To my surprise, though Styggdom is straightforward Norwegian black metal, it crafts that delicate aesthetic between classic and new, with clear production quality, instead of leaning on lo-fi escapist nonsense, and a calm, confident delivery. One thing you should note is the extremely effective samples that add an additional layer to the sound most black metal comedy troupes summon for chuckles. Nattverd is classic, there’s no doubt, but as I’ve always said now and again someone just does it right and this is what Styggdom is all about, provided you don’t mind the fact.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Nattverd – Styggdom
Osmose Productions
Cover Art: Stefan Todorović (Khaos Diktator Design)
4 / 5
