Review by Felix on January 13, 2021.

Some bands can excite me a lot, but leave me relatively cold the next moment (read: song). You guessed it, Deströyer 666 is one of them. The euphoria of the first two critics does not really set in with me in the case of Terror Abraxas, because the general phenomenon of the Australians is reflected on this EP. It is not only the bland, expressionless and somehow tired sounding cover version at the end of the CD that clouds the overall impression.

Deströyer 666 always have the best songs to offer when they sound as evil as if the Grim Reaper himself is grinding his too-long fingernails over the blackboard of first graders. But that happens too rarely here. 'A Breed Apart' certainly has a fine measure of poignancy, bloodthirstiness and cruelty. Admittedly, it already becomes clear here that the drum sound is at a loss compared to the guitars. But some nasty melodies give the opener a scratchy, nasty character. After that, however, malice has its lunch break.

Of course, it was never a one-dimensional speed kills approach that the gentlemen from down under pursued. Similar to their faded compatriots from Assaulter, Mr. Warslut and colleagues can also be real bullies without having to set all musical levers to full attack. Nevertheless, the vocals, the melodies and the aura of the tracks lack a bit of the pitch-black element for me here. The anthemic 'Trialed by Fire' does not fall under easy-listening metal, but there are certainly enough pieces in the studded-wristbands-and-leather-jackets direction that challenge the listener more. No question, the band does not commit any serious mistakes. But when it comes to intensity, meanness and hostility, the last ten percent is missing, not only in the melodramatic, seven-minutes-mark-crossing title in the centre of the song list. It may be that the band itself noticed this during the recording. That could explain the partly hefty rumbling in 'Terror'. Unfortunately, the guitar lines die in this track before they can leave an impression. In contrast, they do not miss their effect in the other (self-composed) songs. No one should say that everything is bad here, it's just that not everything is good either. As a result, Terror Abraxas presents itself as a quite nice, but by no means essential EP, which would have deserved a few percentage points more with a less dull sound.

Rating: 6.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 2, 2023.

Some people still say that the Covid virus does not exist. The whole Corona crisis was just a conspiracy. I agree! And not only this, I even know the conspirators. The lone wolfs of the black metal scene, who run a project without any other musicians, wanted other people to live like them. If we cannot meet friends, simply because of the fact that we do not have any, other people should stay at home as well. This was the intention and I think this is absolutely okay as long as this intention results not only in global isolation, but also in quite impressive works like Nattemørkets Kall.

Favn, the guy behind the project called Ildfar, has penned an album which does not boast with an enormous degree of individuality, but it houses another well executed portion of typical Nordic black metal. Songs like 'Fallen Souls', 'Embraced By The Growing Darkness' or 'Helvetes Porter' have all these fine trademarks that made the Scandinavian kind of darkness so fascinating. High velocity frenzy, bitter vocals, haunting melodies and a small dose of keyboards tones generate an exciting big picture. A few ambient elements can be found as well, but they do not characterize this album and folkloric ingredients do not occur. When it comes to similar artists, I think of Denmark’s Blackhorned. This band also delivers pretty vehement, sometimes atmospheric black metal from the North and it is, of course, another one man army that is responsible for this formation.

I cannot say that each and every idea works on this album. For instance, the “ahaha” vocal lines at the beginning of the fourth track are dubious and the drumming appears pretty lifeless from time to time. Yet there are great moments as well. It’s amazing to hear how the electric guitars consume the soft beginning of 'The Realm Of Frost' (Demonaz, keep calm, this is no song about Blashyrkh). The track is full of different facets and its calm break works as well as the intense mid- and fast-paced parts. The melody lines have an almost enchanting aura and therefore it is a pity that the song ends relatively abruptly - but not as unexpected and amateurish as the actually enjoyable and pleasantly stormy closer. Its sudden death is the only slightly negative detail, but I enjoy the trail of Darkthrone-inspired devastation that it leaves.

A misty mood surrounds Nattemørkets Kall, not only because of its nature-related artwork. The main reason for the foggy surrounding is the pretty blurred yet powerful production. There is not much differentiation, but a coherent overall picture. This and the fact that the album is immune against inferior pieces makes Favn’s second full-length to a more than just decent listening experience. At the latest during the next pandemic with isolation rules, a lot of (underground) black metal fans should give this work a chance.

Rating: 8 out of 10