Listen to Vemod

I first heard about Vemod from the delightful curmudgeons at Lurker, and, after ignoring them for awhile, finally hit up their Bandcamp to see what Sebastian & Co. were fussing over. Turns out, they were dead right (as per usual). Vemod’s debut LP, Venter på stormene, is fucking amazing. This Trondheim-dwelling duo describe their music as “dark ethereal metal,” and as eyeroll-worthy as it sounds, it does sum them up well.

There are few things less interesting than bog-standard, depressive/shoegazy/Drudkhy nature-worshipping atmospheric black metal. With so many poor examples clogging up our interwebs and CD racks (hah! Remember those?), it’s wonderfully refreshing to come across a band that dabbles in that formula, but instead of resting on the laurels of others, takes it to dizzying new heights. Vemod play atmospheric black metal, yes, but there’s something different about their approach. The stark beauty of the ambient passages that weave their way through the otherwise icy, vehement swaths of black metal is triumphant and imposing, recalling neoclassical bombast as often as fragments of Forest Silence and Nyktalgia. The shimmering loveliness of the bright, clean chords juxtaposes with sulphurous roars and distortion. It’s an engrossing listen, to say the least, and it’s all the more intriguing to come across music like this when it’s created by the likes of guitarist/bassist J.E. Åsli (One Tail, One Head, Jammerskrik, Astral Winds) and vocalist/drummer  E. Blix (Mare, Black Majesty, ex-Celestial Bloodshed, ex-One Tail, One Head). Their other projects are known for creating both orthodox and forward-thinking strains of black metal savagery, and they’ve both looked Death in the eye at band members’ untimely passings. It’s clearly left its mark.

Venter på stormene is now available via Terratur Possessions.