Review by Felix on March 20, 2023.

Two transparent 12 inch vinyls, download code, a great artwork, Norwegian artists: the conditions couldn't be better for almost an hour of the best black metal. Indeed, Nattverd’s second album does not disappoint, even though it is not free from weaknesses. “Heksebrann” must be mentioned in this context, because it marks the downer (and simultaneously the longest track…). Its almost ten minutes are pretty harmless, the narration of the witch is boring and a denser atmosphere would have been desirable. But each and every album has one track which is the weakest and therefore I don’t want to talk too much about this misstep.

I have already mentioned the atmosphere – Nattverd do not create a very intensive aura. The most atmospheric detail here is the artwork. This is surprising, but no big deal, because they still collect a lot of plus points. The guitars are responsible for the positive overall impression, They reveal an affinity for thrash metal. Especially the beginning of “Dragsvoll” illustrates this. The riffing draws the listener into the song in a matter of seconds, the drummer contributes a lot to the driving character of the song and the vocalist expresses pain, misery and horror without sounding unorganic or infantile. His voice possesses a natural form of hostility. But “Dragsvoll” does not only score with its attractive beginning or the misanthropic vocals. It is skilfully arranged, with tempo and intensity changes. Evil knows a lot of ways to show its malicious grimace and Nattverd present one of them, not only during the aforementioned title.

The material of the Norwegians sounds pretty individual, because the sometimes thrashing guitars do not transform their black metal into black thrash. It’s not only the production, which is as transparent as the vinyl, that prevents this change. “Styggdom” does not follow the snotty approach that marks an important cornerstone for the black thrash scene. Nattverd do not throw with dirt, they prefer to fight with their sights open. Given this situation, the focus on the expressive guitar lines in blessing and curse at the same time, because occasionally these are repeated too often (without creating a hypnotic effect). I don’t see that as a major flaw, but sometimes I think the songs should be five or ten percent more compact. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the shortest track “Hedninger av en svart verden” belongs to the highlights.

“Styggdom” is not the blackest or rawest release ever, but harsh enough to be a worthy representative of its genre. It has its own identity and does not lack force, hate and a few catchy moments. Okay, it also makes clear why Norway has lost its leading position in terms of black metal, but a good album is always worth listening and the ambitious work called “Styggdom” ("Abomination") is such an album.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10