DEN SAAKALDTE is a Norwegian Black Metal band, initially formed in 2006 as a one-man band, but soon mutated into an amalgamation of some of the notorious musicians found in the Black Metal scene, including members of bands such as SHINING, 1349, and GEHENNA. With a full five years having passed since their debut album "All Hail Pessimism", 2014 sees them releasing their second full-length album, "Kapittel II: Faen i Helvete" later this month.

Adding a more hostile and aggressive edge to the otherwise undoubtedly Black Metal, DEN SAAKALDTE incorporate everything from Doom elements to clean vocals into the seven tracks on "Kapittel II: Faen i Helvete".With grim frostbitten riffage, this album is full of ravaging intensity, although this is tempered by the more melodious sections, particularly evident in songs like "Endeløst Øde"; this oscillation between frozen and barren wastelands to raging infernos of fiery hell captivates your senses, and takes you on a roller-coaster of a ride through depravity and lunacy. This album pretty much has everything you would look for in a good Black Metal album, from epic riffs to flurries of tremolo picking, and from grim and raspy vocals all the way to thunderous blast beats, and from atmosphere setting snippets of intro to the more occult ceremonial chanting. Although you can hear influences from a variety of Black Metal bands from KOLDBRANN through to 1349, I personally am reminded of SVARTTJERN. I enjoyed the fact that the entire album is in Norwegian; so many bands write their lyrics in English to try to appeal to a larger audience, which I find doesn't work as well for Black Metal as Norwegian does. Perhaps my favourite track is "Djevelens Verk"; starting off with the forlorn baying of hounds on a desolate plain, one is soon taken to the pits of hell on the wings of a melancholic riff. The militant drumming incessantly drives you onward down this path of destruction, whilst the more melodious undercurrents leave you with some semblance of hope, making the descent that much more soul-shattering. The clean vocals in the second half of the track are a little surprising and uncomfortable at first, but upon subsequent listens, you realise that they really do fit.

Overall, this album is an embodiment of ravenous macabre, and is an excellent follow on from the first chapter, "All Hail Pessimism"; definitely worth checking out if you're already a fan of DEN SAAKALDTE, or if you're simply looking for something new to desecrate your ears. I for one can't wait to see them at the very first Norwegian Hellcamp in Germany this year!