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Nidingr – The High Heat Licks Against Heaven

Published:

Last Updated on 04:31 PM by Giorgos Tsekas

Genre: Black / Death Metal, Avant – Garde
Country: Norway
Label: Indie Records
Year: 2017

Five years after their last release, the Norwegian Black Metallers Nidingr, have made their great comeback in the music industry, more authentic and more paranoid than ever. With their fourth full length album “The High Heat Licks Against Heaven”, released through Indie Records on February 10th, Nidingr lure us in a violent fall into the abyss.

“The High Heat Licks Against Heaven” is characterized by aggressive compositions that as the album progresses, the more hazardous and nightmarish they become, as they have that quality of sticking on you and grow like a rambling plant. They more they feed from the darkness hiding within you, the more addictive they become. The album in it entirety is a mix of Black and Death Metal elements, with an essence of Ambience lurking in the darkest places. Indisputable is the Avant Garde perspective that has penetrated into every part of the record, making it cryptic, weird. In this “strangeness” that’s transmited, we could add the fact that there’s a variety of compositions, both in terms of speed and synthesis. There are moments in the album where tempos are lowered (listen for example “Gleipnir”) changing the general mood and moments where the vocals are substituted by female chorus (listen to “Naglfar Is Loosed”) giving a more ritualistic character. While in general Nidingr have retained their own identity and character, producing an album that is not far removed from the data of their career so far, their music and overall / individual development is evident pompously. We could say that “The High Heat Licks Against Heaven” is a progressive manifesto, outside the strict musical sense, in the logic that Nidingr have made steps forward. Although their compositions are complicated in several places creating chaos for the listener, they are compositions that evolve the state of the group itself and the modern – I would say – Avant Garde Black Metal status. Of course, apart from these compositions themselves, impressive are the vocals of Cpt. Estrella Grasa, escaping from the Norwegian Black Metal as the manipulation of his voice and his vocal transitions occur in conjunction with the explosive passion radiating, rocketing the final result. In terms of production, they have managed to sound like they’ve sprung from another decade, but simultaneously they sound fresher than ever. Each instrument is utilized the way it should be, including the characteristic 7chord guitar Nidingr have. Mixing and mastering have worked wonders, as there is no isolation of sounds or imbalance among them. Generally, the production of the album is excellent at all levels.

To put it in a nutshell, “The High Heat Licks Against Heaven” is an amazing record that needs a lot hearings to be appreciated. It’s an intelligent record with elaborate compositions and meticulous delivery that expands the band’s and genre’s horizons.

5/6

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