262 days till W:O:A 2023.
Carpathian Forest - a prominent name in black metal that even I've come across more than once during my research. Formed in 1992 by Nattefrost and Nordavind they are part of the second wave of black metal and have been around for 30 years by now. However, it has been quiet around Nattefrost and Carpathian Forest withing the last decade. Carpathian Forest's last studio album was released in 2006. In 2018 they have released EP Likeim, announcing a new album to be released winter 2018. Yet, this highly anticipated release has not happened until today. In the last couple of years they have played several festivals and small concerts though. Since 2017 the line-up consists of Nattefrost (vocals), Vrangsinn (bass), Audun (drums), Malphas and Erik Gamle (guitars),
I picked their latest studio album with the speaking title Fuck You All!!!! Caput tuum in ano est (2006). In 2006 the band consisted of Nattefrost (vocals), Tchort and Blood Pervertor on guitars, Vrangsinn (bass) and Anders Kobro (drum). Tchort we already know from Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse album from 1994, where he played bass.
So. Fuck You All!!!! What can I say? I had absolutely no problem getting into this album. It features 10 songs and lasts for 46 minutes of pure black'n'roll fun. For a black metal album the production is good. You can hear the single instruments clearly, especially Vrangsinn's bass is very audible througout. The guitar work and drumming is mostly pretty repetitive and basic, getting you into a certain groove. Every once in while the songs shift and go in a different direction, but that didn't throw me. Nattefrost's vocals are as evil as they can be. He is snarling and rasping through the songs, yet there are some surprises where he is doing kind of punkish shouts or Rock'n'Roll grunts. What I love about this album: it is not straightforward black metal throughout. You can hear influences from Rock'n'Roll and hardcore punk, you have doomy sections, atmospheric synth elements and also thrashy passages.
Everyday I must Suffer! comes along very Rock'n'Roll-ish, while Start up the Incinerator - Here Comes Another Useless Fool is very punkish. At first the guitar riffing is really chaotic and the drumming just frantic, but the song develops a really nice groove at around 1:20 if you manage to stick around for it.
The album opener Vi Åpner Porten Til Helvete... [We Open The Gate To Hell...] is one of the two songs in Norwegian and with 6:36 minutes by far the longest song of the album. It starts up with distorted vocals and relatively quickly comes to the point with very repetitive and straightforward riffing, which will return in the last minute of the song. In between we have a relatively doomy section with synth choirs and elements and Nattefrost is just going crazy with his voice, which is fun to listen to.
The Frostbitten Woodlands of Norway is great alone because of its title. The title features everything one expects from a Norwegian black metal song, right? Woods, coldness, snow, desolation, desperation. The songs features some great synth elements creating an eery atmosphere in the beginning. There are parts where the tempo picks up and the song becomes less melodic but overall this is one of the more melodic songs.
Diabolism - The Seed and the Sower. This song comes along very thrashy actually, especially the riffing starting at 3:22, and that contributes to a great song finish.
So, to sum up, my first experience with Carpathian Forest was a pleasant one. It was fun to listen to this album and I put several songs on my playlist. I am very curious to find out if we will have a new album release in 2023 and if seeing Carpathian Forest live will be a worthwhile experience. Maybe listening to the albums from 20 years ago ist the better choice here. We'll see!
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