Sorrow Infinite and Darkness

This is an album I've been meaning to get a review done for for quite some time now, but for one reason or another, I've not actually managed to get around to it until now. With 'Sorrow Infinite and Darkness', Nidingr have released one of the most interesting albums that has crawled out of the blackened depths of Norway in many a year.

Tearing out of the traps from the off, the band sound like a futuristic Black Metal Vader mixed with the spacey atmospheres contained within the debut album of the immense Thorns, whilst being coated with the occasional splash of symphonic synthesizer work similar to that of early Dimmu Borgir. All this is blasted out at breakneck speeds for the most part, with thick layers of guitar work shimmering and echoing in its Mayhem-like dissonance throughout the proceedings, the ever crushing drum work merely acting as a backbone to the fleshy riffs, doing their best to flay the skin from your face with sheer intensity. Vocally, Grasa has a nice gravelly Death Metal bellow that tears holes in the fabric of time and space with a mere breath, such is the ferocity of his delivery. Although the first five tracks are undoubtedly the best on the album, the remaining five are certainly no shirkers when it comes to quality either, continuing the fierce pace of the record until the album's done.

Although Nidingr mainman Teloch seemed to have his hands full playing live with various other Norwegian bands, it seems that Nidingr is still very much alive and well. I for one, am very much looking forward seeing what happens in the forthcoming chapters of this refreshingly inspired band.

Originally written for www.metalcrypt.com

Although this Norwegian band has started his way back in 1992, this is the first time I meet them. After two demos released many years ago (the 1st in 1996, the 2nd in 1999), then 6 years of silence they finally reached to release the first full-length of their career.

The first track of the CD is somehow delusive, because it’s not the best song to portray their way of Black Metal. It begins with a very very fast tempo and hostile riffing, but soon the keyboard come in the equation which makes more digestible the whole music. You might think that this is another Dimmu Borgir, or Graveworm kind of band, well, not at all… The second song starts with an unforgiving thrashy and dark riff, then listening to the other tracks you can easily realize that these guys have a special taste for fast tempos and merciless riffs, but they never forget to throw a few mid-paced themes in the mix and some keyboard in the background.

Even if the work of bands like Dissection, Dark Funeral, Hades Almighty, or Naglfar doesn’t seem to be unknown for these fellows, they managed to create a sound of their own. The songs are well-structured, the music is brutal, intense and dark. The keyboard rears its head time by time, but the main role is taken by the technical guitarlines. I think they have tuned down a few steps on the guitar, or they are using 7-string guitars, because the riffs are pounding really low and heavy.

My main problem with the music are the vocals, which are very monotonous, not having too much in common with the usual BM shrieking, being more closer to death metal vocals