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/:: Artist :: Gjendod ::\
:: Album :: Livskramper ::
:: Year :: 2024 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Osmose Productions R.date :: 2024-10-30 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: OPCD531 S.date :: 2024-06-28 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 268kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 73.30 MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Aule mot feil mane 5:19 ::
:: 2. Livskramper 3:11 ::
:: 3. Gendod 3:15 ::
:: 4. Skumringsliv 6:18 ::
:: 5. Byttingen 4:02 ::
:: 6. Under dekke 3:53 ::
:: 7. Dod manns skygge 4:43 ::
:: 8. I nattens land 5:31 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 36:12 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Close your eyes and let the simple acoustic melody lure you ::
:: into the forest. From the first harmonious chord, Gjend°d ::
:: channels the ambiguous power of the Huldra. ::
:: ::
:: The whole album feels like a deep, dark forest. There are so ::
:: many elements, so many surprises hidden in the vegetation, yet ::
:: they all share the same earthy texture. Usually, I listen to ::
:: albums while completing other tasks, but with Livskramper I ::
:: find myself staring at a spot on the floor, forgetting what I ::
:: was doing. There is something so alluring, so engaging in these ::
:: songs, it is impossible to follow a line of thought. ::
:: ::
:: Melodies come and go, clean and tragic with a clear smell of ::
:: Nordic folksongs, but broken and scattered, like paths leading ::
:: to nowhere. The riffs are regular and give a feeling of firm ::
:: black metal ground to stand on, still they change in unexpected ::
:: ways. Where the road was supposed to be is just another ::
:: clearing, surrounded by more forest. I try to keep track of ::
:: where I have been but soon, I realise the paths end in other ::
:: paths, and I cross my own footprints. There is a hint of the ::
:: smiling Huldra in the corner of my eye, and the chilling ::
:: realisation that these trails were not trampled by human feet. ::
:: I have no idea how far I have gone or in what direction. When I ::
:: accept the loss of control and give up on my intellectual ::
:: analysis I can truly give in to the pull of this enchanted ::
:: forest. ::
:: ::
:: The music is ever changing and melodic in a way that could have ::
:: been catchy but isnÆt. It is executing the classical black ::
:: metal style so well it could have been generic, but it isnÆt. ::
:: It is inventive and evolving but in the subtle details rather ::
:: than in the centre motifs. ::
:: ::
:: The vocals add something human and something inhuman at the ::
:: same time. They are dynamic and emotional but always ::
:: high-pitched powerful fry screams. In them I feel human despair ::
:: and striving. I also feel the cold of the underworld, that ::
:: which cannot be spoken or seen, something that sends chills to ::
:: my spine and make me want to start to run along these narrow ::
:: paths in the dark. ::
:: ::
:: The production is not overly polished but the person who did it ::
:: must be a genius of black metal. The sense of raw nature comes ::
:: through at all parts, still every individual instrument is ::
:: audible on its own. When I follow one guitar, I can clearly ::
:: hear the skill of the musician playing it, the fingers moving ::
:: on the board. There are so many elements in this album it could ::
:: have been an overdecorated mess, but it is perfect. The heavy ::
:: and precise riffing, melodic scraps being tossed back and ::
:: forth. The acoustic guitar that sometimes take over the telling ::
:: of the story, and the slow wailing clean guitar that seems to ::
:: tell a counter story, a different emotional core of the ::
:: narrative that gives room for endless possibilities of ::
:: interpretation. They all blend seamlessly. I donÆt think about ::
:: the elements, I see the forest and feel the old saga that is ::
:: told in shadows and whispers, without hero or goal. ::
:: ::
:: When the last song starts with circles and spirals, I feel a ::
:: moment of panic, like the deer in the clearing suddenly knowing ::
:: it has been promised to the hunter as a token of friendship by ::
:: the Huldra. By then it is too late to run anyway. Sanity has ::
:: been lost to the deep forest, lured away by the crying guitar ::
:: and the voices from the underworld. ::
:: ::
:: To me this is deeply spiritual music. I donÆt find the lyrics ::
:: anywhere, but the titles imply Nordic folklore. Nevertheless, ::
:: the spirituality lies in the music itself. It doesnÆt need ::
:: liturgy or dogma. The sacred is in the altered state of ::
:: consciousness, the loss of time and space and individuality ::
:: that occurs during the listening, for the listener that gives ::
:: their full attention and openness of mind to this album. In the ::
:: sacred space of untamed and unlimited nature lies chaos. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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__\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2024 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__
\\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO///
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