Unholy

Casting sonorously ominous glow on its bowing brethren is Östersund's newly arrived - and chomping - Widundret, a mildly RAM/Angel Sword-ish five-man caustic castigator of heady trad metal hegemony whose cryptic and archaic moniker (pronounced "Vidundret") alludes to the radically old-school Swedish word for "monster" or "the monstrosity". Groovy!

Initially exuding a gruffly rude and deleterious demeanour on methodically ruminating, Black Palle style opener, "Iron Prophets", we also glean, from rabid quintet's digitally independent, four-tiered Unholy EP (released in June), the impression of handling atypical, perhaps mite unorthodox, formation dusting allegorical chip(s) off its shoulder. Hell, if rocked out rum rollicker "Cannibal Apocalypse" is of any indication, this Scandinavian juggernaut is no such "chip off the old block"...

...as attested by title track's swaggering, pseudo stoner/doom cadence, or, at first, roughly arresting, mid-tempo culminations and ruefully palm-muted/down picked guitar strokes which provide structure for Micael "Miffe" Svan's crankily ranged chants. To my ears, potent vocals hover between a lower Olof Wikstrand (of Enforcer enmity) and something craggy and resigned, along similar fault lines as certain Nordic front man for old school "goth metal" band Cemetery, from my relative youth.

Alternately, he goes for a diabolically mangled throat thrown ejection on said drum-bashed-to-perdition "Cannibal Apocalypse", an instant discography highlight to the quick! I'm also unequivocally reminded of The Night Eternal's recent titular commencement - that is, both vocally and battery-wise, with bass ruffling more than its fair share of quills off said doomsday beast!

Leads are economically shelled, yet whence select ripened few breach sonic veil, glad tidings ensue by means of placidly rendered, dark rainbow inspired fret board phrasing which, again, shadows Enforcer and, mildly, Germany's genial Screamer. Indeed, when a behemoth such as Widundret loudly presses forward with its intractably advancing march, we're compelled to take heed like it's a vital need.