KOLDBRANN – Ingen Skånsel

Last year’s 2-track release titled Den 6. Massedød (Manna fra en Annen Himmel) was a caustic, face-melting delight that worked its nasty, bone-chilling magic on this scribe rather splendidly. Naturally, their upcoming full-length record appropriately named Ingen Skånsel had to be something to look forward to and worth getting excited about, right? The answer is a resounding “yes” in that this long-running Norwegian black metal act has churned out twelve sparkling new tunes of death and disaster that encompass the very best aspects and qualities of the genre while also harboring an unearthly and unique aura that the band can rightfully call its own. Never anything less than perfectly unsettling, Ingen skånsel contains their best and most brooding material to date, and its raw-sounding textures succeed in transporting the listener to an utterly unpleasant realm in which the winds of spite and misanthropy blow hard. In terms of riffs, Koldbrann have brought their A game here, which is obviously something that each composition benefits greatly from, and there is an awe-inspiring oomph to this cold, hard, cynical, and ugly musical onslaught that is undeniable. There is just no denying the fact that “Forstanden Seiler Sin Egen Sjø,” “Et Uomtvistelig Falsum,” “Rykk Skaperverket Opp Med Roten,” “Vorde Eders Farkost En Katafalk,” and the title track rank among the most memorable and rewarding cuts ever conceived by these twisted fucks, which is saying something.

Main man Mannevond and his partners in crime have delivered a grim and morbid slice of timeless musical extremity that is as deftly executed as it is singular in vision. Ingen Skånsel is outstanding stuff with an eerie ambience to it.