WHOREDOM RIFE – DEN VREDE MAKT LP (Terratur Possessions)

Whoredom Rife keeps pushing forward powerfully, purposefully and passionately, ‘Den vrede makt’ being the irrepressible Trondheim duo’s fourth full-length album inside seven years of faithful, undeviating devotion to keeping the black banner unfurled. And knowing that banner for exactly what it is…  It’s the consistency of their art that is key to the enduring appeal of Whoredom Rife – a relative newcomer which seems to have been around forever – and, guess what, the latest record is another fantastic offering of glorious, triumphant, galloping, thunderous Black Metal supremacy.

Side A delivers three curses in the native tongue, Side B switches to English, all the while the quality quotient remains high, soaring indeed, skilled and inspired craftsmanship and execution always evident. The intent is apparent from the tone-setting title track, which opens proceedings ominously, Whoredom Rife demonstrating throughout the LP an uncanny alchemic knack for merging melody and menace to produce music that is both memorable and also brimful of vim, vigour and violence. A case in point being the swirling, swarming ‘Fiender’, which is as aggressive as a hammer to the temple but with sufficient more-palatable flourishes to soften the blow a degree.

The six tracks are intricate and involving as well as intense and precise, averaging over eight minutes’ duration apiece, culminating in the epic, poignant parting shot, ‘The Beautiful End of All’, a bleak and sombre affair where a different kind of crushing heaviness is to the fore. At no point do Whoredom Rife attempt to reinvent the wheel, they are seasoned creators / musicians content to focus on consistently creating and channelling prime traditional Norwegian Black Metal as we know and love it (and mightily proficient at doing so, too).

Another area where these unflinching workhorses excel is in matching their music up with exquisite visuals. When you buy a Whoredom Rife record you get much more than just the music. The artwork and packaging that accompanies each of their records is truly magnificent. On ‘Den vrede makt’, there’s once more no holding back in this department, resulting in a record that’s great to look at as well as to listen to. The embossing on the superbly-crafted cover and booklet is a real touch of class. This time the booklet is more geared towards brilliant band pics than actual artwork or depictions, but the result is the same. Great sights, great sounds.

Evilometer: 666/666