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Enevelde – En Gildere Død

enevelde – en gildere død

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The flow of creativity streaming through the veins of B. Kråbøl seems endless. While his work with Misotheist has left a deep impression upon the admirers of the Black Metal brewing in the Trondheim, Norway, area, his solo project Enevelde is shaping up into a beast of equal or perhaps surpassing quality. The debut `Enevelde’ was a seriously sinister and unsettling piece of Black Metal, which took an even more ominous and unnerving direction on the ‘Gravgang’ EP. The sophomore album was recorded and finalized in 2021 and after severe virus-related delays is at long last unleashed upon us in May 2023.

In tradition with the previous recordings, ‘En Gildere Død’ (which translates to ‘A Grandiose Death’) comes adorned with another beautiful classical painting on the cover. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900) was a Russian-Armenian painter that is considered one of the grandmasters of Russian art of the 19th century. He was especially renowned for his stunning depictions of seascapes. ‘The Deluge’ from 1864 was one of his portrayals of the biblical flood. In the fragment used on the cover of ‘En Gildere Død’ we can see both the painter’s adoration of the sea, as well as the relentless and unforgiving nature of the ocean. Countless people are swept away towards the darkness and demise that awaits them at the depths of the sea. A Grandiose Death indeed.

Fitting with an imagery of the dark and suffocating fate of drowning comes the music of Enevelde. A common thread in the two previous releases was the oppressing bleak nature of the music, even though both recordings were far from the same. ‘En Gildere Død’ takes that gnarly and unerving sound but does not simply walk in the exact same tracks as the predecessors. As the album title already indicates, death comes for you in its all-consuming darkness and desolation, yet it has a shine of glory, of beauty contained within its salvation. ‘En Gildere Død’ is sinister, oppressive, and choking, yet it’s beautiful and epic at the same time. ‘Renselse’ (meaning ‘Purification’) is one of the examples where leading melancholic melodies gloriously meander throughout the song. Through a somewhat slower pace, layered guitars emphasize a certain beauty that entrances the listener. But like sirens in the ocean this beauty is misleading. This is reflected both in the contrast with the deep and depraved vocals, as well as towards the end of the song, when tribal chants slowly change to delusional screaming and call for the inevitable doom that awaits in the subsequent title track. The grandiose ‘Rekviem’ (‘Requiem’) is a song that’s deceptively simple in appearance, a beautifully sinister piece with gripping melodies and deeply rooted melancholy. This slight epic touch was not unfamiliar to the material of Enevelde and was obvious in for instance ‘Kroppens Mani’ off the debut, but the conflict between the beauty and glory of the looming shadow is even more stunning on the new album.

As on ‘Enevelde’, the second full-length features a few guest musicians. M. Hellem returns on bass and synthesizers, and in particular the bass has been given a richer sound and more creative freedom on the album which adds depth to the already layered guitar work. I believe it’s K. Johnsen aka Amoque Von Berlevaag of Hellstorm and formerly of Infant Death that provides guest vocals on ‘Til Høsten’, and his contribution is particularly noticeable in the break at around 4:50 into the song. ‘Til Høsten’ (which means ‘This Fall’) is a dark and twisted track that features plenty of pace, double layers of guitars and a disorienting bass pulse. An altogether pitchblack track with some stellar vocal work by B. Kråbøl. While the drumwork of the band mastermind is impressive, V. Einride of Whoredom Rife and Syning takes over on the title track. As the song with the most pace, it’s mostly the atypical rhythms that are embedded in every aspect of the song together with the skincrawling riffs that feels like the pull of the current of the ocean that draws you down into the abyss. Bleak and haunting to the very core! On the final track on the album, ‘Epilog’ (‘Epilogue’) we find guest guitar work by C. Broholt of Hellstorm, Katechon, Thorns and formerly Infant Death. A furious start turns into a monumental beauty, with its melodies subtle yet glorious, deranged growls and howls until acoustic strumming and a stunning melancholic riff ends the album in a grandiose death.

Much like the artwork, ‘En Gildere Død’ illustrates beauty, sadness, darkness and fear. It’s the most dynamic and diverse of the Enevelde recordings released thus far. Unsettling, entrancing and simply astonishing.

Enevelde

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