Review by Jeger on June 8, 2026.

Across centuries of time and o'er enchanted lands forlorn has our journey through the annals of Black Metal history brought us. Here, now, on this eve of joining, of dark forces wrought and rendered over dually do we prepare for lore, for magick and for evils of the ancient kind. The veil that separates our world from that of great spirits of yore is thinning now as we approach the sound of their voices calling out from somewhere beyond Assiah. The voices of Norway's Enevelde and Gjendød as they've come together under the prestigious banner of Terratur Possessions for a split LP release, "Elegier Fra Avgrunnen", set for a June 6 unveiling. And it's time for a clinic in true Norwegian Black Metal…

You can't just decide one day as a musician that you're going to start writing true Black Metal for shits and gigs… In order for true BM to be made, there must be passion, there must be an organic understanding of the value of rebellion, of evil and of the way of the adversary. The Norwegian school has always proven stalwart in every such facet. Across eight salt-of-the-earth album cuts, Enevelde and Gjendød draw from the depths of the land a most enthralling volume of Mörk, Kampfar and Taake-reveling BM that explores the oft-unforgiving Norse landscapes along with ghastly tales of unseen but legendary forces that go bump in the night, darkness and evil, Townsfolk in the grip of hysteria and packaged so classily in modest yet impactful cover art. Alive with the rustic beauty of the language and the feeling of trueness, of genre nobility to rouse from within a sense of pride in the scene and in being one who stands under the Sign of the Black Mark.

This is the split you want. Not some crumby B-Side cuts and some demo track from Ancient times. Two prominent collectives coming together under the olde spirit of personal development through shared artistic expression, and the result is the striking opener by Enevelde, "Ut Av Deg Selv" - a somber chants-driven intro pulls you in as would a Black Hole into a plush gauntlet of ethereal tremolo riffs and gentle ride-accented beats until the mania of genuine anguish-inspired BM ensues: driving the rhythms forward now underneath intrepid riffs as the vocal agony of a hundred years bellows off into an atmosphere that is alive with elements of all I've just mentioned but not in an overwhelming way. Class and wisdom incarnate in regard to recording: mixing, mastering and tonality. A sense of classicism intertwining with a clean contemporary thread in these bitter, downright dreadful moments of "Langt Fra Umaken Verdt". A deep melodic touch and a silver lining around the palpable gloom to create a sense of liberation from within what has felt suffocating during some parts thus far.

Gjendød kicks off the second half with "Verden Våkner" and the similarities between these two entities are striking but also are their differences. Where the former makes an impact on a more melodic front, Gjendød are deploying a heartier, groove-dominated approach. A bit whimsical even in its delivery like some lost Carpathian Forest deep cut and then flashing some melodic steel of their own. Rhys King (Advent Sorrow) worship? Not intentional but striking too are the similarities between KK's tones/delivery and Rhys'. The following track, "Dødsrikets Pinsler" delivers those same dreadful/depressive tones as Advent Sorrow but unmistakable is the true Norwegian heart & soul of it. Gjendød's half of the recording proved to be more textured and unpredictable whereas Enevelde's felt cozier, a little more familiar. The very best in both collectives was brought out and that's the idea. Two proud Black Metal forces, one true Underground Label.

This is why the Norwegian scene is arguably the finest. This is why we will always return to the Norwegian product - this distinct ethos - all of these many influences converging together but yet so Norse all the same. A celebration! This is why Black Metal is more than a mere genre of music; why some people don't deserve to listen to it; why the gates must be kept! All things precious should be safeguarded… Enjoy.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Jeger on July 21, 2026.

We've all been searching… We've been searching for meaning in a world where absurdity has become the norm and where everything we once knew of dignity and integrity has become fascist… We attach ourselves to what we feel is sacred as a way to pacify our existence and find purpose. We yearn and toil the heart fervently for some sort of identity when in reality, none of it means a fucking thing… Barreling through the Cosmos at a million miles an hour to what end? One we shall never see. And this is why I couldn't care less about the world. Somewhere along the line during your quest for meaning, you may have encountered the world of Black Metal - a common destination for the searcher, and from within this brave new world, you may have even taken in some Black Metal of the Icelandic kind.

The Icelandic school of BM is a burgeoning movement that has spawned some of the world's most talented Artists/Bands. The Icelandic style - complexly melodious and haunting - a fresher take on the Scandinavian product has taken the international scene by the cajones and none of us are complaining. In 2018 - a different world ago - Vafurlogi was birthed and along with them a new outlook on BM from a thematic perspective. Musically? A hybrid approach that has yielded the familiarity of the '90's Melodic Black Metal era, all the while as contemporary dynamics, superlatives akin to the Icelandic style ensnare and spellbind. On June 26, Vafurlogi released their sophomore LP, "Gneisti Af Eldi Guðs" via NoEvDia/Oration.

There is little commitment here; very little attention to be paid, as each track provides all of the sonic allure you could ask for. And it begins as if in stride with the opening track, "Af Heilagri Heift". Shades of "Far Away from the Sun" era Sacramentum dye into more aggressive tones as the mood shifts halfway through from mystification into a state of debauched BM gluttony: dreadful melodic passages, chilling spoken-word soliloquies and what feel like Mgła-level Nihilistic vibes accompanied by similar riffing output. No corners cut, a comprehensive, no-compromise LP thus far and it's only just begun. A patient like Max Cady type of affair…

The band namesake track happens to also be the most violent cut on the album. Tremolo riffs of all different substances and speeds driven by a variety of aggressive percussive concussions converge into a perfect storm of Icelandic Black Metal - sonic deathwinds sweeping across the valley of your psyche - eliminating any and all doubt now as you begin to understand the depth of the recording: its many nuances but also those big shifts that make their impact in the same way that a major life event might rock your world. Epic is the word… Epic in both tried and groundbreaking senses of the word but not without a certain level of modest '90's charm.

And so the search continues… Our scrambling for some kind of meaning before we transition into the afterlife; leaving this world behind forever. Or if you're like me then you're not much for sentiment anyway and are just along for the ride until the bitter inglorious end. And it will be Black Metal that shall guide me along the way; passing down the wisdom of the Ancients in a world that has forgotten what it is to be still. Solace is the music, serenity is the sound. Here's to the death of what is sacred! To the death of wasted time…

Rating: 8 out of 10