Ravens over the Road of Kings

Considering how huge Burzum has been in the black metal scene, it's only fair that there's gonna be a bunch of Burzum-Worship bands to come out of the woodwork. You got bands like Drudkh who feel more like an epic/atmospheric version of Burzum, or bands like Bilskirnir who are more into the pagan/folk aspect of Burzum. But of all of those Burzum-Worship bands, one that sticks out more in this niche community than most other bands to me is Nidhoggr. Based in Finland, this one-metal band only released one demo in 1994 titled "Ravens over the Road of Kings", and boy is this demo insane!

What do I mean by that? Well let's take a look at the instruments first. This demo takes some inspiration from Burzum's eponymous debut, and it shows in the first track "From the Forest Came the Wanderer". It starts off with a melancholy guitar solo that sounds similar to Burzum's "The Crying Orc" before we're then hit with the rest of the instruments. The guitar riffs feel very sad, and the chaotic riffing gives it an anxious and unwell sound. The drums are also similar to the guitars in its craziness, where the blastbeats only further amplify the messy composition, but the occasional technical patterns still maintain some structure in the composition. The bass is also good at adding a foundation to it all, though it can get a bit quiet at times. All three tracks have some excellent instrumentals, but the first two songs especially shine here with their depressing atmosphere being executed well. The production, however, is a bit too sloppy to a point where sometimes, the sound is louder in one channel than the other, which can get annoying. Otherwise, the instrumentals and production is generally good.

But then we get to the vocals, and this is what makes this demo memorable. Nadrach does some shrieking similar to that of Burzum's early works, but he makes them sound even worse. For example, in the track "Thou Shalt Burn at Our Stakes", his shrieking can get very loud, and the delivery in his voice makes him sounds absolutely crazy. When I hear his voice, I hear someone's who's gone absolutely insane and wants to end it all. It's somewhere in-between Varg's shrieking in his first three albums and Nattramn's feral goat-like screams in Silencer's "Death - Pierce Me". While the screaming can be too much at certain times, it is perfect for flowing well with these depressive instrumentals. The vocals might feel a bit short, but when they do come on, you're certainly gonna remember every agonized scream in there.

Overall, this demo is just about as good as it gets for the depressive side in Burzum-Worship. The instruments pay homage to Burzum's debut album, while also having a distinct style that makes it stand out, and the vocals Nadrach has are absolutely terrifying. Speaking of whom, Nadrach would end up killing himself in 1998, putting the Nidhoggr project to an end. But despite only having one demo, the band really did gave it everything they got, and it paid off in the end. If you're looking for some black metal that expands upon the sounds of early Burzum, then this is a demo I highly recommend.

Nidhoggr's first (and only) release is the 12-minute "Ravens over the Road of Kings" from 1994. The demo shines with its well-executed music, especially with the adept and rather diverse use of guitar melodies and riffs.

The instrumental parts are where the recordings really show their best. The drums are usually quite fast (although they prove to be a bit slower than the classic black metal ones) and monotonous, creating heavy and ominous atmosphere. The guitars add greatly to the overall feeling of the music. Despite being heavily distorted, bleak and daunting, they manage to create both fast and slow melodies that can be aggressive and gentle (the opening part of the "From the Forest Came the Wanderer" is slow, quiet and melancholic, for example, while the rest of the song feels energetic, full of wrath and almost like a war hymn in its second half). The vocals don't stray far from the high, painful shrieks typical for the genre, although the singing is very raw, harsh and also distanced, as if in the background. That same 'background' feeling, along with the despair-ridden screams of Naddrach, turns the demo into a very atmospherical piece of music. The lyrics themselves aren't particularly exemplary of writing talent, but when read enchance the experience of hearing the songs. For me this is especially clear with "Thou Shalt Burn at Our Stakes" which is fast and combative (the text, vaguely describing an army rising against an unknown monarch, furthers the sensation left by the recording). The sound quality is very low and probably so on purpose.

Overall, the demo easily creates the dismal and gloomy sensation which most depressive black metal recording seek to achieve. The mood, sometimes incredibly heavy in its sadness, sometimes violent and furious, never leaves the depths of the negative spectrum of emotions. There are easily distinguishable Burzum influences in the songs, but the music still feel unique thanks to Naddrach's masterful execution of the instrumental parts. In the end, the demo is a shining example of the best 90s depressive black metal there is, and the beginning of a promising musical career that never got to be.

This is the only recording every released by Nidhoggr and as the band's only member Nadrach shot himself in 1998, this demo is his legacy to music. "Ravens over the Road of Kings" is a very raw, aggressive and bleak release. Ragged vocals filled with anguish wail over a barrage of churning jagged guitar and drums being pummelled and bashed to within an inch of their lives in a very primitive recording environment. The pace is fast enough that the drums have a near-industrial machine edge to them. Everything takes place in a grim and bleak setting.

All three songs are well-crafted and have a strong urgency. First track "From the Forest came the Wanderer" comes in deceptively with a gentle solo guitar introduction that leads straight into almost-but-not-quite blast-beat drumming, constant guitar riffing and those screechy fragile vocals. For all the speedy music though, there are definite riffs and melodies and some time past the halfway mark the song turns into a different key which gives it a different, near-martial air. For a moment (though I haven't yet figured out why), this brief part of the track reminds me a bit of former French Black Legions band Vlad Tepes during its forays into Celtic-inspired war BM. "Thou shalt burn at our Stakes" is a more stompy track, very business-like, with the drums getting a thorough work-out while harsh guitars drone on and on. "Jata minut korpeille ..." is a short repetitive instrumental piece with a slightly slower pace than the previous track.

The musicianship is very good when you consider that all this is the work of just one person; the recording does sound like a band of two playing together. The most enjoyable moments are when Nadrach hits discordant chords every so often which darkens and complicates the mood of the songs. The influence of early Burzum is strong throughout the music, especially in the distant vocals. The way Nadrach plays and sings though (the singing can be very delirious and desperate) suggests that if he had lived and kept on recording, he might eventually supersede his early influences and become a major force in depressive BM.

This is killer. This is so fucking killer that I can't believe I've never heard of this band before. Ravens over the Road of Kings has everything that makes a top-flight black metal demo, and then some.

To clarify, as if I need to: This could very well be a lost Burzum tape. The compositions are indistinguishable from Varg's, and among so many lackluster clones, that takes some doing. So is the guitar tone and the constant, almost-blast drumming.

The guitar parts are expertly mixed, with the dissonant melody on every fifth or sixth beat, crafting an onslaught of melody and recreating, for a few moments, the sensation of time rushing past us. The drumming, reminiscent of that on the song "Det som engang var", fulfills its' part perfectly, although it gets slightly repetitive on the last song. What's amazing, however, is that the musicianship on this demo is even better than Varg's. This is seriously grim and wintery music played by a virtuoso. And the screams give me such a chill...

Highly,highly recommended. This proves that there are still obscure treasures out there waiting to be found.