Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Skognatt - Landscape Of Ice (2016)

Skognatt is a German one-man symphonic black metal act, and having listened to it a couple of times, I've got to agree with some of the other reviewers here on the Bandcamp page. This record is just a ten minute taste, but it's enough of a taste to get you sucked in.

From those opening gothic organs, I immediately thought of Necromantic Worship and the vocal end of things didn't disappoint either. There's not much said regarding the man behind the act, and I feel that it adds to the mystique if I don't say anything at all regarding those details. If he wamted to be known, he would have posted that information on the page.

The atmosphere remains chilly, fronted with a bloodcurdling scowl that nearly sounds inhuman. Judging by those doom riffs, there's a little bit of dread to be felt within the performance, as well as some well-placed acoustic folk. The drums are programmed, but this is a situation in which the program fits the music quite well, and it is admittedly very tough for me to tell the difference with today's technology.

Both “Winter Nights” and “Landscape Of Ice” seem compositionally similar at base, but I'd certainly rather two strong cuts on a disc instead of just one. There are also some rather indelible riffs to be found within the recording, particularly at the very end of it's title cut. Those show real warrant, which I feel will be greater expanded upon with future outputs. Skognatt is a project which seems to beat at the very core of the frozen black heart of the genre.

Not only is it morose, but it also retains the metallic semblances that keep it both heavy as well as frightening. I'm certainly keeping my eye on what I'd consider to be an unquestionably grim and emphatically necessary act. The smile that crept across my face when confronted with such a gothic frozen treat truly said it all, and I merely wish to share the same devilish desserts with you.

At just one euro, you would be a fool to pass up on this one. If you were waiting for us to actually review something grim, well... here it is. Enjoy!

(2 Tracks, 10:00)

8/10

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