Band:	Djevel
Album:	Dødssanger
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	June 13, 2011
A review by:	wormdrink414

01. Ingen Vei tilbake
02. Djevelheim
03. Mørkefødt
04. Den Gang Kvinnene Brant
05. Djevelslatt
06. Paakallelsen
07. Vi Malte Verden i Sort
08. Paktens Ende - I Satans Eie

So this is a Norwegian black metal band called Djevel. Djevel means devil in Norwegian?

And this review has commenced writing itself.

But wait. Listen. This ain't your grampap's Norwegian black metal. Nor is it your, like, little brother's burst-beat filled exercise in masturbatory, like, like, musical interpretations of 200 level metaphysics, like, coursework, y'know? This is some simple, unpretentious, and, above all, energetic modern black metal we got here. And it's a fun listen.

Some of the tracks on this are brilliant. "Djevelheim", in particular. Really, my most significant gripe with Dødssanger has to do with its Slushy consistency. And I do mean Slushy. The crucial bands in Norwegian black metal's formative years captured the aural essence of ice blocks. Fucking titanic ice blocks. Djevel captures the ice too?particularly on "Djevelheim"--but fails to keep it sufficiently refrigerated. And by the end of the album you're left with a colorful, half-melted pile of sweet slush. Colorful because of the sheer amount of riff, vocal, and drum variation on this, sweet because of the sheer amount of successful hooks and eerie melodies, principally those on "Djevelheim".

"Djevelheim" is suh-weeet.

Thing is, the flavorful moments don't fully distract from the number of, as a kriegier Martin Amis might put it, toe-stubs and elbows poking out on this. The spoken-word/shout parts, for example, are overdone and annoying. Another example: after a killer riff or five, some of the slower, more chugging riffs seem boring. And they have a tendency to go on and on. And on. Dødssanger] has a weak record when it comes to trance-inducement. And they try to channel ze Burzum too much. They need to realize that, when they ignore their inner-Vikernes, they sound good. When they indulge it, they sound slightly above average at best.

But, when Dødssanger is cold, it's glacially cold. Face-freezing riffs? Check. Appendage-numbing vocals? Check. Dizzying, brain-freezing variation and energy? Check, check. Despite some annoying moments and questionable song structures, this album is definitely a noteworthy black metal release. And it's Djevel's debut! So keep your eye on these guys.