Lupine Essence

Of all the various blackened polyps that sprang out of the mid 90s, Suidakra is a very curious one for those interested in the development of the sound outside of the Scandinavia region. For all intents and purposes, they are a black metal band at this point in their history, as testified by their dreary album art and lo-fi production practices. There is a peculiar convergence of Gothenburg influences, largely resembling Dark Tranquillity, and a heavy helping of folksy acoustic and keyboard heavy interludes that are a little bit too consonant and catchy to be Windir inspired, but also a bit too obscure for the prepubescent demo that was put out by Ensiferum circa 1997. But largely the band is well within the confines of what is considered black metal orthodoxy, albeit pretty far from most of the prime movers in Norway and Sweden, save perhaps Dimmu Borgir.

In keeping with all of these rather varied yet quite compatible elements, “Lupine Essence” is a minor, yet highly satisfying listen from a historical perspective. The prominent clean male and female vocal work does offer a somewhat melancholy gothic tinge to what is otherwise a very epic and aggressive offering. It’s familiar sounding, yet very unique, bridging the atmospheric and nostalgic character of Burzum’s ambient tendencies with the tuneful and riff happy character of the more thrashing elements of mid 90s melodeath. There’s something of a weak link in the guitar soloing, which seems to be trying to emulate aspects of this band’s death/thrash history while keeping it within a folksy and simplistic character, and comes off as a bit forced and sloppy. Likewise, Daniela Voigt’s vocals are extremely soft and almost mouse-like, sounding more akin to a frightened child next to Arkadius’ Ihsahn inspired sepulchral mutterings and shrieks.

For all of the grimness and coldness in the album cover, this album doesn’t really come off as the frostbitten inspired fury in the line of early Immortal that one might expect. The opening “Banshee” almost sounds like early Iron Maiden before the blackened vocals kick in, and afterwards is extremely thrash-infused and melodic, perhaps in line with early Gorgoroth at times, but definitely presented in a manner more in the spirit of In Flames than otherwise. Things veer into a steady stream of blackened goodness on “Heresy”, “Havoc” and the addition of early demo song “Internal Epidemic”, but largely the composite approach of styles rules the day and makes for an interesting experience. The ballads kind of plod about a bit, with “Sheltering Dreams” being a particularly weak spot due to an inferior vocal job out of Voigt, but they work fairly well as folksy variants on the solemn acoustic work that came out of some members of the early 2nd wave.

Although very short and wanting in a few areas, from a historical standpoint as well as a unique pick from a crowded field, this is a solid first rung in the high ladder that has spanned Suidakra’s 16 year career. This is something that fans of “For All Tid” and early Satyricon could probably appreciate, though more melodic and lighter sounding. It is different from the high folk sound of late heard out of the band, which puts them much closer to Ensiferum, but is also worth exploring, even by those who have only recently discovered the band through “Emprise Of Avalon” or any of the albums that came after.

Originally submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on January 22, 2011.