Nidingr
Wolf-father
Jester Records
Nidingr are one of those bands who make up for their lack of releases with the supremacy of their recordings, and "Wolf-father" is no exception. Musically, this is unmistakably Teloch and Blargh at work and it is a fitting follow-up to 2005's "Sorrow infinite and darkness". Just as that album displayed a strange character unique to Nidingr, so does "Wolf-father" exude an enigmatic presence that doesn't quite sound like anything else out there. As much as founder-member Teloch may loathe genre labelling, the best way to describe Nidingr to the untrained ear is to explain that it's predominantly deathened black metal (yes, that's the right way around) with elements of 'weird' included. When compared to its predecessor, it has an almost muffled sonority yet, as a standalone album, the production is spot-on, complimenting the musical output to perfection. A short album, clocking in at just under 23 minutes, it's definitely a case of quality over quantity, but with the legendary Hellhammer offering his expertise behind the kit, a special guest appearance by Ulver's Garm, and an album that's captivating from start to finish, the quality control mark is firmly stamped and good to go. There's not a dull moment to be had, from the driving main riff of "Baldrs draumar" to its esoteric doomy passages through to "Reginsmol", a song that sounds-off like Burzum on cocaine. It's all inspiring stuff. There's something about it that takes us right back to the heady days of early Norwegian black metal and therein lays its hidden genius. At we enter the latter half of 2010, this looks like it could be one of the top releases of the year.
- John Norby
