Nordjevel : Gnavhòl

August 12 , 2022 | 16:16

BG2 от 2EN

Norwegians Nordjevel absolutely don’t need any introduction – we’re all eagerly awaiting their new album, and the tracks released have definitely been a dangerous teaser so far.
In their third full-length title “Gnavhòl”, which will be released on the 23rd of September via the Indie Recordigs label, we have the right amount of darkness and cold guitars, and it can be said that this time we hear something a bit darker and more haunting than the previous titles .
Everything, even the album cover itself, carries a heavier and more focused massive energy that is capable of subduing on an even deeper level than before, and in my opinion, Nordjevel from the very beginning of their career are good at handling any ways to draw you into an atmosphere of cold, dark, and vast wastelands.

With “Gnavhòl” the band create a work that touches both the metaphysical themes of “Necrogenesis” style and the more ritualistic nature of the tracks, undoubtedly carrying a bit of the atmosphere of “Nordjevel” and “Fenriir”, with a few pinches of nihilism added .

The production on the album is of excellent quality as always, with the first track “I Djevelens Skygge” opening with an ambient announcement and the drums in the foreground that stand out amidst the instrumentals and even the vocals, creating a pulsating wave of cutting guitars and almost mathematically measured kick drums. As a die-hard guitar player and fan of the guitar sound, I would have liked a bit more distortion audibility here, but the choice is definitely interesting in this case and plays its role well. The track has some enormous dirty solos, appearing suddenly and like a breath of fresh air, which makes the nearly five minutes of “I Djevelens Skygge” really interesting to listen to – the dynamics are well thought out and the suspense is there.
The same goes for the rest of the album.

I really like Nordjevel, because they always manage to break one way or another from the classic idea of Norwegian black metal and bring something that really fits perfectly in this category, but also adds more – in this case, their music in “Gnavhòl” is 100% cold and furious Norwegian black metal, but varied with more brutality in sound and brought to technical precision.

With a total of ten hymns in it, the title captivates the listener in a very interesting way with various techniques such as subtle insertion of cinematic moments, brutal low choruses, curiosity-tickling solos and tremolo picking, spontaneous shouts…
The album is a whole story about the senses that has to be experienced to be fully felt and as someone who has been listening to the band since its inception I can say that “Gnavhòl” is definitely the best I’ve heard from them so far and carries a huge charge that keeps you under tension until the very end of the record.

With a courageous fighting rhythm and pulsating esoteric knowledge in the atmosphere, Nordjevel present their new ritual in a captivating and obsessive way, with incredibly well-honed dynamics and emotional charge.
Khaos Design’s cover perfectly describes what you’re about to hear – an almost apocalyptic aural picture, a struggle between tyrannical dark forces and a chaotic whirlwind of furious melodies.
Immerse yourself in the hellish story of “Gnavhòl” and shudder at the darkness lurking in its corners…