Norwegian black metal band KHOLD is the offspring of musicians –  traditionalists to the core. And as such, the Norwegians follow their trademark sound uninfluenced by new trends and  useless experiments with new elements in their work. You always know what to expect from the band – raw, primitive and groovy black metal sound, extremely specific and recognizable among all the others. For 24 years, there is not some massive change in this, and we all know that this situation will most likely remain until the end. KHOLD are all about delivering their pure expression in the form of their trademark black metal, and that’s exactly what we like  about them, right?

„Du dømmes til død“ („You are sentenced to death“) – the band’s eighth full length album, arrives with a peculiar idea. The new album is conceptual and each song reflects the tragedy of different people sentenced to death in Norwegian history. I have not been able to understand every word, but in the continuation of the work we can trace the stories of ‘witches’ and criminals condemned to death for witchcraft or other crimes, and also the story of the executioner August Anton Lædel, who belonged to a family of judges/executioners and took the lives of dozens, most -often murderers,often in the places for this purpose – the so-called Galgeberg (gallow hills). The concept is extremely fascinating and it is interesting to follow the whole story.

The title track features the band’s traditional excellent and crispy production with Gard’s vocals in the foreground and the expected mid-tempo, mostly monotonous tempo with a flashing groove and space-borne rebel riffs, and I also managed to catch a not-so-traditional moment in the song “ Lædel“, in which there is an industrial element that refreshes and gives contrast and additional depth to the recording – I could probably even guess the effect that was used – great idea! Also, the atmospheric intro of „Misgrep“ is a slight deviation from the usual KHOLD malice, which was interesting to follow.

Relatively shorter than the previous title – about 33 minutes in seven cutting tracks, „Du dømmes til død“ is a pure homage to the tradition of KHOLD and naturally, you can’t help but like it if you are fans of the band and know their  characteristic sound well.  Minimalistic, with typical black and roll playfulness in the sound, the album is exactly what you would expect and why you reach for KHOLD’s music.

And while on the previous album ‘Svartsyn’ I definitely had a favorite among the tracks, here I can’t settle on one particular track, like perhaps the more emotionally charged and aggressive ‘Skoggangsmann’, along with ‘Lædel’, ‘Misgrep’ and ‘ Dølgsmål’ stood out while listening to the album a bit more than the others. With the release, the album flows quite organic  & effortlessly  as one  whole aural  journey, without sharp turns and changes in tempos, with the atmosphere spinning you in its primalness so you can’t  even feel when you are already completely immersed in the  raw energy of the quartet.Mid-tempo groove melodies take us through a raw and intense, tight atmosphere on ‘Du dømmes til død’, the album carrying KHOLD’s traditional charge and malice unflinchingly wrapped in raw instrumentals and searing vocals, telling a compelling tale of bloody execution and death.

Mid-tempo groovy  melodies take us through a tender and intense, tight atmosphere on ‘Du dømmes til død’, as the album is carrying KHOLD’s traditional charge and malice unflinchingly wrapped in raw instrumentals and searing vocals, telling a compelling tale of bloody medieval misunderstandings and death. A must listen!

Band: KHOLD
Album: „Du dømmes til død“
Release Date: March 22nd, 2024
Label:  Soulseller Records
Link: https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.com