Doedsvangr’s return is imminent.
Four years after their last EP, the band led by Doedsadmiral (vocals, Nattverd, Nordjevel, Svartelder…), BST (guitar, Genital Grinder, The Order of Apollyon, ex-Aborted, ex-Aosoth…), Shatraug (guitar, Finnentum, Sargeist, ex-Behexen, ex-Vordr), Sanrabb (bass, Gehenna, ex-Forlorn), and Antichristian (drums, ex-Jorn, ex-Nattverd, ex-Tsjuder…) unveil their third album, Within The Flesh, in collaboration with Soulseller Records.
After a horrific introduction, Devil Bites Man immediately sets the tone with Black Metal as oppressive as can be, and although the sound is initially quite slow, it remains imposing enough to accommodate the vociferations of a highly theatrical Doedsadmiral, though the rhythm section will experience a few scathing eruptions, reinforcing the aggressive side of the chaos that rages. The track’s length allows for a fairly shifting rhythm that eventually, after a scream, transitions into the much shorter and more straightforward Black Sun Dissolution—a bloody composition that perfectly capitalizes on its Norwegian roots, delivering abrasive riffs at every turn, whether in the devastating blasts or the more dissonant passages. The fury returns on Omnipath, a track that’s both unsettling and haunting, yet surprisingly melodic, building its contrast through harmonics and background keyboards to create a catchy vibe, before plunging back into brutality with the title track, Within The Flesh. Blast beats and screeching riffs combine beneath the vocalist’s roars, slowing down only to become more epic before picking up the pace again toward Blodskam, a more majestic composition that takes its time enveloping us in its darkness before unfolding its eerie, misty tones. If the atmosphere is already heavy after just a few seconds, the vocals reinforce it even further, giving us a true sense of apocalypse before the drums even kick in, dragging the entire instrumental section along with them as it tramples us from all sides, setting the stage for The Pentagram Upon My Mouth, which takes over with the same fury. Nothing seems capable of stopping this veritable assault tank of punishing riffs as it heads straight toward Rites of Thorns, Rise of Flesh, where we find the lighter, almost playful Black Metal roots connecting two ethereal yet very dense passages, reinforcing the screams that barely fall silent during the break, giving rise to another form of screams before the final mystical explosion.
Doedsvangr had been keeping a low profile on the Black Metal scene, but their comeback is sure to make a big splash! While Within The Flesh is a far rawer and more visceral album than anything the band has released before, it’s definitely going to be one of the 2026 releases standout.
95/100
