Band: Blodørn
Album: Dødsjakt
Genre: Viking Black Metal
Country: Norway
Label: None
Released: June 9th 2024
Introduction
The Norwegian black metal scene has been around for a while (as we all know), but still, there are new or newer bands emerging out of those beautiful mountains and fjords. One such band is Blodørn. They first made their presence known with an EP in 2017 and their first full album saw the light of day in 2020, but that one wasn’t on my radar at all.
Which is a shame because the band is made up by the two founding members of Ulvhedner, Arild and Svein Terje. Blodørn came to be as a creative outlet for Arild as Ulvhedner became more melodic over the year. As such, you can’t really say they are new kids on the block, but the band is a new entity.
Now they released their new work Dødsjakt onto the world. We grabbed our shields and swords and dove in head first.
Dødsjakt
The intro of the first song, which is also the title of the album, Dødsjakt sets a great atmosphere. Every time I hear an intro like that I get pulled into a song more (or an album) so that’s a good sign. The song itself isn’t that fast-paced, but it’s very well put together. I especially like the vocals, they are harsh, just the way I like it, old school, icy and grim.
Track list:
- Dødsjakt
- Ferdens ende
- Ulvens vrede
- Skarp den eggen
- Stupbratt
- Stillhet i dalen
- Flagget satt
- Den stille natt
As you can see, this new album contains 8 new tracks with a run time of 46 minutes. The songs are all of a decent amount of time, not too short, and not too long. The first 2 tracks aren’t that fast, with the third track, Ulvens vrede picking up the tempo a bit, the drums are getting faster and the riffs sharper. The middle section of the album is the best part for me as the songs are a bit more aggressive.
At the end of the album, especially with the last song on the album, Den stille natt (The Silent Night), the tempo goes down a bit, and we enter a more folkish type of music. But it must be said the atmosphere it sets on the first song remains throghout all the way even with the last song.
The overall quality of the album is, as mentioned, well put together, and you can hear that these two blokes have been making music for a long time.
Conclusion
For those that love black metal with a nice atmosphere, some slow paced songs and some faster ones. This is a release for you. For those that like Ulvhedner you can give this a try as well. You won’t be disappointed.
Are there any faults with the album? Not really no it’s an album that’s mixed properly, well-made and, overall, just a good album. Is it the best album of the year? Probably not, but it’s an enjoyable listen, and that’s what counts the most.
BMZ Rating: 7 out of 10 – Good: A solid and enjoyable album overall. It boasts strong songwriting and performance quality, delivering a cohesive and satisfying listen.
Support Blodørn here: https://blodornnorway.bandcamp.com/album/d-dsjakt
Your thoughts on Dødsjakt
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