Avmakt returns to the roots of Norwegian Black Metal.
After a demo in 2021, the band composed of Christoffer Bråthen (guitar/vocals/bass, Flight, Gouge, Black Magic, ex-Condor…) and Kristian Valbo (drums/vocals/bass, Black Magic, Obliteration, Dødskvad, live for Aura Noir…) signed to Peaceville Records and unveiled their debut album, Satanic Inversion Of…..
Their grimy, oppressive sound is immediately apparent on Ordinance, a debut with obvious early-90s roots. While the heavy atmosphere is obviously present, there are also a few well-felt accelerations which the duo don’t hesitate to use to give rhythm to their morbid charge, which quickly becomes dissonant with Poison Reveal, the following composition. Growls also become more menacing, fitting in perfectly with the frantic abrasive tones that slow down again with Sharpening Blades of Cynicism, a ten-minute track with a haunting ambience bolstered by sharper harmonics. The main riff suddenly bursts into flames, leaving us to face a veritable surge, before returning to a hypnotic slowness to lead us into Towing Oblivion, which explodes without delay, but ultimately focuses on an Old School dimension where the only real changes are made by the drums, sometimes unleashed and sometimes more measured. Diverse influences can be found in the angrier parts, but also an intoxicating gentleness on Charred, where lead guitar expresses itself before making room for the usual screaming vocal parts, accelerating again to lead us to Doubt and the Void, where slowness also takes pride of place given the length of the composition. Chaotic melodies give way to a new-found virulence, but the sound eventually fades out without warning, signaling the end of the album.
Listening to Avmakt, the parallels with their elders from Darkthrone (who, incidentally, praise them) are inevitable, so close are the two bands. Satanic Inversion Of… is well on the way to establishing itself as the next generation of Norwegian-style Old School Black Metal.
85/100
