It has taken four years or so for Styggelse to unleash their debut full length album, it having been preceded by a mCD, limited tape release and demo recording. However, now on Unexploded records the band blast onto the black metal scene with ‘Heir today – God tomorrow’ and prove that the wait was worthwhile with a blasphemous, noxious blast of feral howls and clattering guitar.
Opening with the title track, Styggelse play unashamedly pure black metal with a suitably raw production courtesy of Daniel Kvist to match. Fans of the genre will know what to expect here – raw flailing guitars layered in distortion, hyper-speed drumming and vocals torn from the very depths of hell, they’re all present and correct and executed with a certain degree of flair and panache by a band who have certainly spent plenty of time perfecting their sound. ‘Ready to burn’ is no less aggrieved. With chief vocalist Larsson sounding utterly enraged, the primitive backdrop provided by the band veers just on the right side of solid musicianship without being overtly technical and the raw and ragged production emphasises the power of the music capturing the vital live sound that has always made black metal so thrilling. ‘The throne’ kicks off with a chainsaw riff and cacophonous drums before kicking off in a frenzy of double-kick-drums and snarled vocals. However, that is as naught compared to the brutal melee that erupts when ‘Defiance’, a track truly worthy of its name, kicks off what sounds like a riot. Utterly uncompromising, it is also imbued with a natural energy and aggression by a band who are clearly putting their very hearts and souls into the music that they make, a fact underscored by the blistering solo that guitarist Kallbrand peals out around the 2.20 mark. Equally furious is ‘once, the code… forever’ which brims over with anger and frustration over the top of a massive churning riff aimed squarely at destroying fans in the live arena.
As if the band are aware that they’re running out of tracks, ‘Animalium’ ups the ante still further, drawing comparison with the mighty Celtic Frost in the process. Heavy as hell, the band’s skill is to balance the raw production and corrosive riffs with an accessible edge that means that despite being skull-crushingly heavy it is also furiously enjoyable to listen to. The Celtic Frost comparisons continue into the punky ‘Finish the trilogy’ that cruises on a simplistic yet vicious riff that cuts down any notions of opposition like a bloody scythe while the pounding drums smash a hole through your aching brain and leave you dazed and breathless. Final track ‘Day of the pentacle’ contains no less of a sense of urgency with Skadeglade working overtime while the guitarists drag the initial rapier-sharp riff down to a doom-laden trawl through humanities dark side. It’s an excellent finish to a strong album that has much to offer.
Overall ‘Heir today – God tomorrow’ promises much and succeeds on nearly every level; the production is admirably raw and yet clear enough to capture the nuances of the band and render the all-too-brief solo spots with decent clarity. Equally the fire and fury of the band is without question and it’s clear that given the chance Styggelse have the potential to stand toe-to-toe with the peers they so obviously respect. A brutal, exciting, icy black metal blast that will please fans of the genre no end.
