Nord...

Music on "Nord" is what I call real black metal. Setherial sets an example of northern top-class BM without any touches of other styles or genres. Maybe, this music is not very intelligent that sets you thinking about something lofty, but in the final analysis this is not the aim of Setherial. They just do their job well and competently and I have no reasons for complaint. Of course, I will never listen to such a music from some modern bands, because it's worth doing some new instead of copying the giants like mentioned Setherial, Dark Funeral or Marduk. That style was used by many less or more successful groups, but now it is not deserves the attention if it's done by new bands.

"Nord" is simultaneously melodic and hard, beautiful and distorted, as cold as the winter in Sweden and as hot as summer in Hell. It doesn't open something new in black metal but swedish experts were pioneers in this extreme subgenre. I can't call it true, but on the other hand, can somebody call "Nord" very tuneful or harmonious?

It's perfectly well, when some taken band (for the present instant I took Setherial) issues such a cool debut release. "Nord" reflects the main point of the existence, life and atmosphere in the North. First of all you fixes your eyes on the cover of this album, on which we can see the scandinavian forest in the wintry weather. So, as you can notice, the cover has a big count, especially on devotees of the chill northern music, whom I surely am.

In general, the songs on "Nord" don't differ from one another very much. But it doesn't really matter, because in the whole it is great classic nordic release with infrequent acoustic passages, hard riffs and flawless BM melodies.

"Nord" starts with the very long song, what happens in such a sub-genre occasionally, called "In The Still Of A Northern Fullmoon" full of the viking hatred and anger. Then comes the classical Setherial's song "Mörkrets Tid", which is not less fast or spiteful, but it has some acoustic moments that make this song softer. Next song "Över Det Blodtäckta Nord" is even longer than the first. Maybe it is very lengthy and it's hard to listen to it all of the 14 minutes but that fact doesn't affect badly on the perception of this distinguished album. The forth song also shows the pure hatred and malicious mood, in which this track is resembling with the other stuff on "Nord". However "För Dem Mitt Blod" and "I Skuggornas Dunkla Sken" are different from the previous tracks by its solos and passages, they really bring some diversity into the album.

As a sum I surely recommend you to listen to Setherial. Trust me; it's worth spending 45 minutes of your free time listening to this cold swedish masterpiece.