After 8 years of silence, the Norwegian black metal band Khold released their new album Svartsyn this summer via Soulseller Records.
The title of the album refers to pessimism, which means a negative view of things to come.
90’s style Black metal?
Like the music of their familiar band Tulus they also play a style of grim, groovy and frostbitten 90s black metal featuring a noticeable bass guitar and groovy parts which play a big role in their overall sound.
The album starts with Apostel which was one of three previously released singles. The drums are the driving force behind this song, with the guitar sound being bitterly cold (as it should be in black metal). As it is typical for Khold, as well as Tulus, the bass guitar is dominant in the mix and hence very noticeable.
A deeper dive into the second track
The second track on Svartsyn, Ødslet Blod and I Demonens Bok, Khold show their great skills and what they are best known for: Groovy songs with aggressive vocals from frontman Gard. There is also a distinctive black´n roll vibe throughout the album, especially I Demonens Bok knows to convince with an ingenious break and slightly jazzy bass lines. It is definitely one of the highlights on the album. Moreover, multi-instrumentalist Sarke’s drumming fits perfectly the music and supports the grim atmosphere of the songs very well. Some songs have a certain doom-vibe to them, like Helligdom av Døde. Hence, Khold have evolved their sound over the past years without losing their 90s spirit.
The new songs are certainly cool, and certainly will work great at live performances. The album is well produced but also has a raw vibe to it, but not as washed out as on their debut album, Masterpiece of pain.
So if you like rough and grim black metal, you should absolutely give it a listen.
Pre-order CD, LP & Digital Album:
World: Buy Here
Americas: https://soulsellerrecords.aisamerch.com
Khold
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Khold.official
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kholdofficial
Metal Archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Khold/1104
Soulseller Records
Website: http://www.soulsellerrecords.com
Web store (U.S.): https://soulsellerrecords.aisamerch.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SOULSELLERRECORDS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsellerrecords/
Bandcamp: https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.com
Tracklist:
- Apostel
- Ødslet blod
- Evig
- Skarpretter
- Helligdom av døde
- Manngard
- Dystopi
- I demonens bok
- Villvandre
- Bryt i udåd ut