SKADE is the project of multi-instrumentalist Kvasir. His music hearkens back to the early days of Black Metal when lo-fi, raw discord and disharmony ruled the day. This isn't to say he simply wanders previously explored landscapes, instead he drives the "black metal sound in new and innovative directions." His 2022 debut, "Gudinnen" (trans: Goddess), recently found its way to Sliptrick Records and was re-issued on May 16, 2023, hopefully to a wider audience.

True to his mission, Kvasir serves up the majority of "Gudinnen" in Norwegian. Exceptions are the title track, featured in Old Norse, and one track partially reverting to English. In his words, the main themes "misanthropy, resentment, and death. Many of these themes are explored through a framework of Norse mythology, where old Norse myths are retold and twisted in new ways. This all culminates in the final song, 'Gift med havet,' which gathers together all the threads of the previous songs."

The most interesting aspects of the twelve-track album are the aforementioned innovations. Here we find Kvasir deviating from the tradition Black Metal playbook and accompanying full movements and sometimes entire tracks with off-kilter piano; other tracks, like "Ouverture for andre del," are layered with Industrial elements; and still others take on an Atmospheric Black Metal ambiance. All of that is to say, there's something unexpected coming at you on almost every track.

My favorite track of the lot is "Dypr inni skogne" (trans: deep in the forest) which starts off with a woodsy field recording and then introduces a thunderous bass line and then that creepy, out-of-tune piano further accented with tremolo riffage. The entire melody builds and shifts across a myriad of discordant instruments and harsh vocals. You can just imagine Kvasir ripping through the studio going from one lethal instrument to another like Bruce Willis in the pawnshop scene from Pulp Fiction.

Other standout tracks are "Misnøye" (trans: dissatisfaction) for its ponderous exploration of a malignant melody. It is repulsive and compelling all at once. I also enjoyed the 51 second atmospheric piece simply entitled "Er" (trans: Is). As Kvasir notes, "Gift med havet" is clearly meant to be the all-embracing track.

For its innovation and experimentation, I give SKADE's "Gudinnen" several points. On the downside, there were several tracks I frankly found unsettling, but maybe that's the point-to get under your skin and cause you to scratch and scrape. Either way, SKADE delivers on his promise-old school gristle and bone wrapped in an inventive skin.