“… if you’re a TRV KVLT big timer, than this is an album worth picking up, it’s dark, disturbing, heavy and loud.”
When historians and mythologists hear the word Ragnarok, they think of the Norse apocalypse, where the gods are destroyed in an epic battle that resets the universe to the beginning. To a normal person, it’s one of the more likable Thor movies. That being said, there’s a third Ragnarok, one only metalheads think about. Ragnarok is a 4-piece Norwegian Black Metal band. They’ve been around for over 20 years, basically coming out around the time NBM was beginning to form its roots… and fetish for burning religious buildings, but hey I never said all of it had humble beginnings. Nevertheless, while some bands were disbanded, others arrested, some of them murdered, Ragnarok remained around in the metal community, to tell stories of vikings and Satan that everybody enjoys. With such a reputation behind them, it’s no wonder many were excited to hear their new album Non Debellicata, so I figured I’d take a look. Given the fact that I haven’t heard any of their previous stuff, I wanted to see if this was a good jumping on point for their music. So, from a newbies perspective, is this band worth the legend like its namesake? Let’s not waste much more time, and let’s get straight into it.
Starting out with the title track, you know immediately whether or not you’re going to like this album, or set your phone on fire at sea. When I mentioned in the beginning that this was Norwegian Black Metal and that they talk about vikings, I wasn’t joking about that, it’s the first thing they start with. The music is cluttered with Malignant’s blast beats, Bolverk’s trem-picking, Rammr’s low bass, and boats, and boats, and boats loads of reverb delivered fresh from the caves of Norway. Not to mention the vocal performance is the kind of fry screams you’d expect from this genre. Jonotho is belting out these lyrics like a screaming bird addicted to bath salts… and corpse paint. This is an album that is one with the image of black metal, there is NO denying it.
So wait, does that mean I like it or not? It sounds like I don’t. Well, that’s actually not true. While this is a token NBM record, it’s coming from one of the better acts in the NBM scene. This album starts at 11 and never lets up. I’d say this is an album that is on par with acts like Mayhem or Emperor; hard hitting blast beats, melodic guitar tremelo licks, and screeching vocals. I really dug this album from front to back. The environment is nothing safe for sure, but the music atmosphere is something to ride home about.
While I am singing this bands praises, I do have to spoil the mood a little bit. For one thing… it IS a token NBM record. If black metal isn’t your thing, even in the Norwegian variety, this is an album that’ll make you goat scream outta fear that you’ll be next. It’s standard black metal from a solid black metal band. There’s not much else to it aside from that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not down on Ragnarok, I love that movie- I mean I enjoy their music. It’s just that for the non-initiated, this won’t bring anybody in for the ritual. Maybe I’ll go looking into their catalogue to see if this is better or worse, but as my first listen, it’s pretty decent.
Overall, if you’re a TRV KVLT big timer, than this is an album worth picking up, it’s dark, disturbing, heavy and loud. For sure within your corner, this’ll make you feel safe in your lovely black metal world. However, it’s not going to be turning anybody over to the dark side anytime soon. Maybe as a “once in a while” listener, but it might not be a casual thing. Still, if dark and scary is your thing, then pick up Non Debellicata and enjoy.
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