Dödsrikets kallelse

Finland might probably be at the helm of the increasing extreme metal hype which seems to have gained momentum in recent history, it seems, at least the last few years provided us with strong black metal works from the swampy, cold and alcohol-soaked country (I know, prejudices are bad so please don’t take me too ersious). Ondfødt are a relatively unknown troupe flying somewhat under the radar, that released their debut album "Hexkonst" in 2014, and they don't have any well-known musicians in their ranks either as far as I can tell. This does no harm, it is nice when new blood revives the scene. "Dödsrikets Kallelse" has eleven crisp songs and comes with a playing time of a good 35 minutes, whereby the last track ,Kun Minä Kuolen' is a Hämys cover and not their own composition. So the band decided to concentrate on the basics and trim all fat as they don't want to bother the listener more than necessary.

One cannot speak of annoyance, though: The second album of the Finnish troupe is exactly what it wants to be: a well-crafted and atmospheric black metal album with tons of great riffs, melodies and frosty atmosphere. If you like Norwegian greats las well as the Finnish school, you will feel comfortable with "Dödsriket Kallelse". The album has turned out amazingly dynamic and full of variations, both in terms of the songs among themselves and in terms of different elements in the individual tracks. For example, the calm intro “Den Sista Färden”, carried by somber melodies, then culminates in the breaker “Födömd I Evihejt”, which kicks off with a noisy wall of sound, features spoken vocals and finally transitions into a midtempo track with typical black metal riffing. It's great fun to listen to Ondfødt at work, even if of course there's not a lot of innovation to be found. But the gentlemen manage it well, both the more atmospheric side of black metal and the martial-aggressive side skillfully implemented and complementing each other in great harmony.

In some places, a slight punk attitude can be heard or the band relies on discreet black'n'roll moments, such as on "No ere jo Satan", a track that can boast an unabashedly catchy chorus. This is exactly the kind of black metal you should listen to in the car with the windows open when cruising through the city. Quite accessible and armed with catchy melodic leads, "Midnatt" is the longest song on the album with its five minutes, and together with the fiery "Nerdreji i mörkri" the best that "Dödsrikets kallelse" has to offer in my opinion. That being said there is not really a big gap in quality between the single cuts. In "Dödens dröm" acoustic guitars and grandly compelling leads make a calmer mood return and finally via a cover of the for me personally unknown band Hämys return one more time to the typical Finnish sing-along way.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like you rarely hear and read the name Ondfødt when it comes to Finnish black metal. Of course, this is still a fairly young band, so it would be nice if they could gain an even larger fan base. I have also written a review for their third album "Norden", and in my opinion there is definitely a qualitative leap to be seen, even if the performance as well as the production here gives little cause for criticism. I would welcome it if they perhaps still expand the moments a little, in which they let off the gas a little and act more intricate and atmospheric. All in all, there is little to complain about here, fans of classic black metal definitely can't go wrong.