DOLD VORDE ENS NAVN released "Mørkere," which translates to "Darker", in late November of 2021, and for being in the genre that I enjoy the least, there are some pretty cool things going on across the entirety of this record.

Honestly, I wouldn't even call what DOLD VORDE ENS NAVN does Black Metal, but more like a Black Metal sub-genre whose name I am not aware of at this time. Their use of clean vocals, melody, and atmospheric vibes is actually really cool, and even the elements that are very much black metal seem to have purpose beyond being fast for the sake of being fast.

For instance, tracks two through four, "Løgnens Abstinenser," "Det falt et lys i min mørke krok," and "Determinismens paradoks" respectively, are all really cool songs. These three, and "Er det måneskinn," utilize more of the aspects I mentioned in the last paragraph, and each are quite powerful due to their range of sounds. I think the use of clean vocals, and an almost Nordic folk sensibility makes for a more interesting listening experience. That diversity in sound also creates a buffer between the more Black Metal tracks on "Mørkere," which in turn helps them to sound even heavier in comparison

Then we have tracks like "Ensomhetens rytter" and "Jeg vil ha det mørkere," which I don't enjoy at all. They both have their feet grounded in the more traditional Black Metal sound that I'm just not into. That being said, these musicians are quite skilled at it, a fact that isn't surprising with their band members coming from the second wave of Black Metal, with some of them coming from bands such as ULVER, SATYRICON, DØDHEIMSGARD, STRID and VED BUENS ENDE.

The last track on "Mørkere," "Syke hjerter," is the best of the best; an absolutely amazing song from beginning to end. The Atmospheric Black Metal that permeates the seven minutes is darkly haunting, with guitar riffs that have a dissonance that is subtle, and extremely memorable as well.

I wish that I had more of an interest in this style of extreme metal when writing reviews about the bands in it, as I never feel that I can give a fair viewpoint on the music these bands create; these guys put a lot of effort, time, and practice into their craft, and this isn't an easy genre to do correctly. There are more bands who do it wrong than there are ones who do it with the degree of skill that is needed to perform, or even write, these types of songs.

Yet, despite my dislike of the genre, DOLD VORDE ENS NAVN is, for the most part, an incredible band, and "Mørkere" is an album that I would recommend even to those who are like me, and normally don't enjoy Black Metal. There is definitely a lot more to love than there is to hate on this powerful album.