GJENDØD – LIVSKRAMPER LP (Osmose Productions)

After the relative calm of ‘I utakt med verden’, Gjendød returns triumphantly with fierce fifth full-length ‘Livskramper’. Can’t really say normal service has been resumed with this one as Gjendød’s trademark is a carefree peculiarity and unbridled spontaneity that’s given them their own unique identity, albeit one that’s almost impossible to pinpoint. It’s not just in the music itself but also the artwork, imagery and unshackled attitude that this band stands out. Not always a great move to stand out in Black Metal but – like Negative Plane, Cultes Des Ghoules, Ride For Revenge, Funeral Mist, Kringa (a handful off the top of my head…), Gjendød does it with aplomb, liberating themselves from the blueprint whilst staying true to the ethos.

There’s almost a playfulness to proceedings on ‘Livskramper’ and it would appear that Gjendød derives at least some pleasure from fucking with our minds, by warping, contorting and distorting the template of what Black Metal, nay music, can be, delivering through deconstruction their own unique interpretation / presentation and erecting it upon a solid BM foundation.

Tempos shapeshift and deviate and remerge seamlessly and devilishly throughout.  Plenty of variety to be found here as the guys just let rip. Oftentimes blood-curdling howls and shrieks highlight the sheer madness of the pummelling, intoxicated instrumentation. It’s a war within a war, a battle for supremacy. No more so than on the second spell and title track, where a duel erupts between tempos and structures, between melodiousness and feral intensity, all and any logic tossed out the window contemptuously, the pace gathering each time the vocals appear and chaos reigning.

Through their uncanny ability to consistently conjure the unexpected, Gjendød manage to render the unexpected expected and thus ‘Livskramper’ remains a cohesive and always fascinating listen despite its utter abandonment of uniformity. Haunting, taunting, manic, deranged and unhinged, ‘Livskramper’ defies convention and is a challenging departure even by Gjendød’s own standards. Even when you become more familiar with the ‘flow’ of the music, there’s still that feeling of never knowing quite what lurks around the next corner.

This record is timeless, flawless, absorbing in its eerie familiarity and jarring unpredictability as it draws influences from far and wide (‘Under dekke’ somehow bringing me all the way back to early At The Gates as the mind drifts uncontrollably) yet manages to sound unlike anybody – or anything – else. The most intriguing, ambitious and compelling Gjendød work to date.

Evilometer: 666/666