Details have been revealed for the new Ulver album "War of the roses", now confirmed for release in April via : Ulver/Ulver.html" target="_blank">https://www.jester-records.com/Ulver/Ulver.html
Said album is the first in many years to not be released on the band's own and it also stands as the first release since establishing themselves as a formidable live act. Needless to say, this is one of 2011's most anticipated releases.
Ulver's "Lycantropen themes" soundtrack album, one of my favorite releases from the adventurous act, is getting a vinyl release with a facelift: https://www.trineogkim.no/blog/index.php/tkds/comments/lyckantropen/
Look for copies to be sold on the band's upcoming European tour.
New music from Ulver: https://soundcloud.com/booking-26-1/february-mmx
The nominees for this year's lucrative by:Larm Statoil Grant have been announced and they are Harrys Gym, Ulver, Ost & Kjex, Kvelertak, Montée, 120 Days, Jenny Hval, Turns, Lukestar and I Was A King. Knut Schreiner aka Euroboy will be heading the jury making the final decision.
Iron Lamb's forthcoming debut full-length album "The original sin" is now recorded and confirmed for release as a digital download via and on vinyl via . No exact release date, but they say it should be ready in late March.
New international tourdates for Ulver with support from Zweizz:
03/22 - Koko, London (UK)
03/26 - Trabendo, Paris (FRA)
03/27 - Incorso, Rotterdam (NL)
03/28 - Uebel & Gefaehrlich, Hamburg (GER)
03/29 - Matrix, Bochum-Langendreer (GER)
03/30 - Substage, Karlsruhe (GER)
03/31 - Z7, Basel (CH)
04/01 - Backstage Hall, Munich (GER)
04/02 - Madonn Delfabero Madonn Delfabero, Ravena (ITA)
04/03 - Szene, Vienna (AUS)
04/06 - K17, Berlin (GER)
04/07 - Majestic, Bratislava (SLO)
04/08 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
04/09 - Biebob, Antwerp (BEL)
04/10 - Colosaal, Asschaffenburg (GER)
Norwegian noisenik/prankster Zweizz has been added to the Ulver/Virus show in London at KOKO and will also be accompanying the former on a number of other dates.
Norwegian avant-metal legends Ulver and Virus will be performing in London together on March 22 at KOKO: Ulver-virus-22-03-2011" target="_blank">https://www.koko.uk.com/listings/Ulver-virus-22-03-2011
Ulver will be travelling to Portugal to perform at Casa da Música on November 5 alongside industrial/noise legends Throbbing Gristle. Click here for details.
Interment is the kind of band that rules on first impression, but provides diminishing results thereafter. Contributor John Norby isn't wrong Ulverised-records">when he cites the band's adherence to the classic "Left hand path", it's just that I don't think they have enough memorable riffs to fill a full-length. They nail the style, not the substance. Anyhow, the band still slays in small doses, so check out a track (and just one, mind you) and get stoked.
Interment - Torn from the grave
Recently reactivated Swedish death metal act Desultory has announced that they have completed work on their new album "Counting our scars", their first since "Swallow the snake" from way back in 1996. Expect a late 2010 release via .
NidingrNidingr 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
Interment, yet another quality act of Swedish death revivalists, will officially unleash their album "Into the crypts of blasphemy" on August 2 in Europe, August 31 in the US. Preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARB2pEBYUdk
In addition to the CD on , there will also be an LP version coming out on August 13 via which will feature a bonus cover of "Torn apart" by Carnage.
I'm not the only one to lose interest in black metal -- genre pioneers Ulver abandoned the genre completely once completing their monumental 3-album trilogy. Which is not to say they abandoned the dark arts completely; in fact, I'd say that some of their post-BM work is ever more black and twisted than "Nattens madrigal". It goes to show that even if you stray, there will still be lines drawing you back, though the news that Ulver mainman Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg's label was releasing a "pure" BM album by the band Nidingr still came to me as a surprise. Naturally, I was immensely curious -- though not all of Jester's releases appeal to me, they are always interesting and I knew I had to hear what was so exciting as to inspire such a return. Amazingly, for a label that prides itself on releasing left-field/avant music, Nidingr's "Wolf-Father" is straight-up orthodox: lots of blasting drums (courtesy of Hellhammer), tremolo picking and cold, dissonant riffs. There are a few standout points of interest though, and that's what makes it an exceptional release. First, the recording. On one hand, it's really flat and digital sounding and, to be frank, the drums are lame and unnatural/heavily triggered, but it's also all very in-your-face, especially the vocals. Also, the cleanliness augments the fact that it's a (mostly) unembellished recording, untainted by excessive and unnecessary overdubs. You can even hear the bass! Furthermore, so much BM is marred by ye standard issue reverb-drenched shrieking, but not here: Nidingr is all about raging screams placed front and center in the mix. Which brings me to my second standout point: the lyrics. Not that I could ever understand Enslaved's old Norse lyrics on their (superb) early albums, but I knew what they were about and I knew it was awesome; Nidingr mines those same Viking legends, but they disseminate it in English and they do it with unbridled fury. Taken as a whole, it's almost enough to get me excited about black metal again. Almost, I say, because I doubt anything else will match it anytime soon.
Nidingr - Hymiskvitha