RSS Feed


KVALVAAG
Noema

Polypus (2014)
Rating: 7.5/10

Noema is the debut album and work of one man, the mysterious Norwegian Kvalvaag (Øyvind Kvalvågnes) who created this monster in 2012 and has worked tirelessly in constructing this seven-track recording.

Now to be honest, I’m literally a fan of every extreme metal noise that is burped out of Norway, so it’s no surprise then that I really dig this platter.

Yes, it’s no shock that Kvalvaag is a black metal project and one which boasts the usual pacey, abrasive dissonance coupled with those throaty, remote conjurations amidst seas of melodic synths and frost percussion. It’s not original, but it doesn’t want to be. Instead, Noema exists in that underground realm where all belief is suspended and emotion questioned and above all where in the darkest corners ears are raped of their innocence by grating guitars and stark production.

Kvalvaag certainly knows how to dig out a melody though, meaning that a majority of the tracks are far from being those inaccessible thorny thickets we’ve become accustomed to over the years with countless bands. His vocal style intrigues me in that he often opts for the usual scratchy rasp but then throws in a maniacal yell too, so that numbers such as the title track and the black ooze of ‘Dystopia Naa’ are far from existing in the mediocre black metal realm.

Of all the tracks it’s opener ‘Vettenatt’ that impresses most, however; that killer hook enables the track to embed its talons in deep while the drums (played by Ishtär from Dødsfall) flail wildly, creating a wall of barbed-wire malevolence. There is also that element of gothic orchestration as the synths hover with menace in the distance.

When the pace is picked up Kvalvaag becomes a rather nasty opponent, offering up such spiky compositions as ‘Nibiru’ which is delivered with vicious speed and some truly demonic vocal sneers, but again, the guitar sound is killer; meandering off its usual path to create a twisting, perverse rhythm before resorting back to that cold blast of speed.

So impressed am I by this debut album that I’ve slapped it on the decks many, many times and I discover new things each time, whether it’s a snippet of hidden melody or another level of aggressive coldness. Just check out that oily riff three minutes into the aforementioned ‘Nibiru’ or that spiraling solo in the last segment of closing track ‘Delirium’.

Forget the majestic; this is black metal played for real but given several layers which unfold to reveal a deep, disconcerting cavern of evil. And for fans of fellow Norwegians Mysticum it’s worth checking out the excellent cover of ‘Kingdom Comes’ too! All in all, grotesquely good stuff.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share