Norwegians Kirkebrann made a statement in black metal circles in 2013 with their debut „Når alt dør“, after which the band went into a bit of a lull.
However, over the last 11 years the band have embarked on various splits and released singles, as their dark northern souls no doubt wielding dark forces in forging a new dark body of work in the meantime.

And here it is – in just a few days, the Norwegian maniacs will release their second full-length album, „Mot trellenes forfall…“, with the help of the label Hellstain Productions.
I’ll start by saying that „Mot trellenes forfall…“ at first glance makes a huge request – more than a decade has passed, the band’s line-up has been expanded, the forces should be even more fierce and uncompromising, and the title itself translates as „To the decay of slaves…“ … I mean, hatred and raging fire should flow from the title like the tears of a hypocrite before an icon.

Things, however, did not seem so to me. „Mot trellenes forfall…“ is not something  unheard of – some of the tracks you may have already listened to as part of the separate splits released by the band. I also can’t say I heard many surprising or profoundly moving moments within the forty-one minutes I listened to that I could recount to you in rapture, but you know, that’s ultimately subjective and not necessarily a bad thing.

 

In this case, the „Church Burners“ deal with the themes that are authentic to their own essence and any black metal fan can feel them relevant.
Furthermore, the melodies and lyrics themselves are fully rooted in the black metal tradition and offer listeners thirteen pieces of ferocity. It’s just that, whether due to the fact that the songs on the album were made at different stages of the band’s development, or for some other reason, some of them are more mature as compositions than others, the album doesn’t feel coherent enough at times. But even though I have some reservations, the album is a good addition to the world of black metal.

Kirkebrann offer exactly that – anti-religious black metal, mocking not only Christianity, but all other religions (the cover is eloquent enough on the subject). Herd thinking is strongly condemned, and the lyrics and melodies themselves welcome blasphemy and the tightening of darkness like a rope around the neck of the blessed believers.
With no surprising deviations from the traditional sound, the band offers a classic black metal sound with atmospheric and neo-classical elements, with the thirteenth track being an all-classical instrumental.

The strings in „Englemaker“ – the third track on the album – are notable. The inspiration of Carpathian Forest and Dødheimsgard, to which two of the band’s musicians belong (guitarist Nasreten and drummer Thunberg), undoubtedly shines through on the track, bringing a primal and refreshing malice to Kirkebrann’s now-traditional homage to the cult.
With each successive track, the atmosphere becomes more hectic and heated, with „Englemaker“ and the following „Manifest by Murder“ almost merging – sounding almost identical and offering similar elements.
The most brutal and haunting song on the album is probably the fifth track „Tårer av Sand, et Liv i Grus“, in which you can also hear the most sincere atmosphere on the record. A combination of  Darkthrone, Aura Noir and Celtic Frost… the track is killer.

Without reinventing the genre, Kirkebrann bring bitter and ferocious black metal in the spirit of the old masters.
You’ll hear fast tremolo, ferocious vocals and freezing atmospheres that will take you on a black metal journey back to the days of the genre’s birth. If you need a dose of blasphemy – „Mot trellenes forfall…“ is a good place to start.

 

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Album: „Mot trellenes forfall…“
Band: KIRKEBRANN
Release Date:  June 28th, 2024
Label: Hellstain Productions
Order: https://hellstain.com