The RMR crew won’t touch re-releases with a flagpole. Usually. You know, records that somehow got launched into the ether earlier by some band and now get a revamp by a label. And as often happens, said labels carry a much more powerful marketing punch than standalone artists. But – exceptions rule the world. And Skade‘s Gudinnen1 is one of them.
The record indeed crossed our hawse in 2022. But for some reason, it got some tough love dished out by the masters of grump over at the RMR review desk. Reasons? Unknown, the silence of the lambs reigns supreme over at the local watering hole. Yet, Sliptrick Records gave Kvasir‘s debut piece a new shine with a re-release due on 16 May 2023, and it clicked this time. Thus, contrary to RMR policy, the piece will get a full review. Managerial oversight be damned.
Gudinnen is an awkwardly fascinating piece in a geeky and even scary kind of way – and yet another one of those one-man shows. And – as always – the question poses itself if trve mastery will emerge or yet another of those jack-in-all-trades endeavors. The record sports some rough-hewn Creative Black Metal that echoes the glorious past of the Norwegian blackened art. But Skade – the artist, not the goddess – probably understood that the frugal times of Bathory or Burzum2 won’t fly anymore. So, Kvasir here presents us with an often chaotic and somewhat unchecked medley of style elements and a gazillion blackened samples that should exude the rancid smell of olde Scandinavian BM. To the point that sensory overload sets in after a while. Gudinnen is a pretty heavy listen at times, that’s for sure.
The record indeed often sounds like a darkly ominous offshoot of Sidus Atrum with a healthy dose of down-tuned Patria. Black Metal with a twist that uses merciless rasps and a ton of tremolos as their weapons of choice. It’s a pity that the vocals sit so far back in this unduly scratchy mix. And that brutally ruins any chance to get at least a hint of what the vocals may all be about. So, halfway through the review, you might wonder what magick made us return to the record time and again.
Well, it is that ominous atmosphere, filled with sounds that seem to escape from that sole window accidentally left open in Dracula’s Castle. The piano from the asylum of hell that shouldn’t exist. The sudden cry of a baby, the dialogue in weird French. The long stretches of soundtrack-like melodies that brutally collide with those vile rasps. All of that makes you feel like you’re stuck in a mansion with ten horror clowns running rampant.
Skade truly let a gazillion ideas influence his songwriting. But – Gudinnen also displays a vile tendency to repeat the same theme endlessly. It is like circling the wagons all over again. And while this may be the case, Kvasir also frequently recalls a sub-theme that will neatly close a loop (Lukker ditt øye – for instance). The repetition bug also strangely leads to a somewhat hypnotic and almost ethereal style that lets you truly sink into the record’s frightening embrace.
Yet finally, Gudinnen often sounds like Ellende‘s ugly little brother with a penchant for urban electronica and ghostly soundscapes. A record that thrives on multilayered yet frugal tropes of olde Scandinavian Metal mixed with a ton of often disturbing sounds and moods. But the somewhat disjointed production continually pulls the record down. It helps the feeling of dwelling in a crazed and haunted asylum, true. But greatness demands a coherent flow, a flawless arrangement leading to a subtle sentiment of dread and unease. And this record won’t do that, unfortunately. Gudinnen still is a good record, though, well worth its 45 minutes of angst and disquiet. But we won’t be returning to it beyond a few more spins, I fear.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Sliptrick Records | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 1 June 2022 / 16 May 2023