Whoredom Rife - Den Vrede Makt (ALBUM REVIEW)
Release date: 31st May, 2024 (Available on streaming services on May 4th)
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Said maxim is, as I consider it, appropriate for the description of Norwegian black metal.
As time changes, we have seen how the the genre has changed and developed over time: the mournful descent into the abyssal depths of human misery that is DSBM a la Shining, Xasthur, and Nyktalgia; the belligerent bloodthirst found in a marriage between black and death metal - heralded by bands such as Blasphemy and Revenge; and the ever-more-popular dissonant path of avant-garde expression pioneered by the likes of Blut Aus Nord, Ulcerate, and Oranssi Pazuzu.
Yet for the region that can often be deemed the most well-known in black metal such as Norway, the sound has - for better and for worse - remained relatively the same.
Of course, everyone would know about the big trve kvlt names: Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, Emperor - after all, they can be considered gateway bands for the genre. Slightly lesser-known bands from the country are the bands like Gorgoroth, Tsjuder, 1349, Carpathian Forest, and Windir - and by lesser-known, I mean that the status here is in relation to the massive followings of the aforementioned three bands.
What can be called the more obscure of bands are, ironically, still rather known to many: these are the bands that are younger and emerged in the 21st century, such as Mork, Djevel, and - today’s featured - Whoredom Rife.
One common trait of these newer bands is that they would be very much faithful to their national aural aesthetics: Djevel can be considered a Taake-worship band, and they do that in a thoroughly masterful manner; and Mork - while certainly does their own things - still is highly reminiscent of something in the vein of Windir and black metal-era Ulver.
For the case of Whoredom Rife, specifically when examining their latest offering, “Den Vrede Makt” (Norwegian for “the furious might”), their source of inspiration within their kinsmen is rich and aplenty.
In 50 minutes, listeners are walked through arguably the whole palette of the Norwegian sound: from the melodicism of Taake or Windir, to the punishing breakneck songwriting that can be found in Satyricon and 1349 - all mixed and produced in a modern manner yet still faithful to the olden days in its capturing of the cold and unforgiving atmosphere: the soundscape here is most akin to the later era of Gorgoroth yet - strangely enough - does ring a bell of the Transilvanian/Northern Sky era of Darkthrone.
That said, all influences and inspirations can never be realized without good musicianship: the composition and arrangement of “Den Vrede Makt” is undoubtedly solid and carefully done so as to no element would sound and feel out of place: each of the instruments as well as the vocals work towards an atmospheric whole yet still pronounced and easily picked apart on their own, making for a dynamic and fun listening experience.
The best way to sum up Whoredom Rife’s most recent opus is as follows: if anyone ever wants to receive a crash course in the sonic history of traditional Norwegian black metal that is also an impeccable album on its own, I will not hesitate to refer them to this one.