Throne of Katarsis

Helvete: Det Iskalde Morket

Candlelight Records 2009

Helvete, the Sophomore effort from Norway's best artist from the new wave of black metal has finally been released.  I absolutely worship the debut album from ToK and this album serves only to reinforce my admiration for this black metal cult.  Helvete is five tracks of obscure occult black metal that reconjures the magic from the early 90s Nordic scene.  This time around though ToK have streamlined their sound a tiny bit and become somewhat rawer culminating in a grim album of blood freezing black metal.  Still bearing a strong resemblance to Diabolical era Immortal but with a stripped down approach, though the acoustic guitar parts still make limited appearances (Lysets Endeligt and Summoning the Horns).  The Darkest Path invites us on to a journey though the splendors of snow covered forests that lay in the shadows of mighty mountains.  I am reminded at times of Dark Medieval Times era Satyricon as organic and pompous riffs surge in a era clouded by visions of the past.  Hints of Darkthrone arise in the blasting passages which are black as midnight on the tundra.  Haunting chants calmly introduce the 17 minute long trance-inducing, Burzum-inspired title track.  A hypnotic main riff one might expect from Hyvis Lyset Tar Oss echoes through subzero temperatures though Vardalv's drumming is not near as minimalist as Varg's.  His approach is tumultuous and blasting in the right places.  Summoning the Horns is eerily reminiscent of in many ways of Immortal's A Perfect Vision of the Rising Northland.  The song fades out with an acoustic piece that is half Immortal, half Ulver and beautifully tragic.  Vocally Infamroth has gone almost completely towards the more traditional black metal shrieks though his more Attila inspired approach makes and appearance on The Winds of Blasphemy.  Throne of Katarsis has once again summoned an album of inspired Nordic black metal majesty.  They freely reference early 90s Norwegian art yet make it thoroughly their own.  Helvete is a masterpiece of infernal occult art.