Gabestok and Black Metal's Spectrum Self (Early Track Stream)

The misguided will call Denmark black metal duo Gabestok a mixture of black metal and punk. They are wrong as this is an incomplete conceit. Related to the greater Korpsånd circle (which boasts the likes of Ærekær, Blot & Bod, Seiðr, Grifla de la Secta, and many more), Gabestok’s aggressive, minimal black metal approach handles the Circle’s aggressive, distinctly more metallic end of the musical spectrum. The band’s upcoming sophomore album Én gang rådden, altid r��dden (“Once Rotten, Always Rotten”) offers a more holistic approach to black metal. The punk elements are there (especially in member d’Ø’s more pummeling drum approach), but there’s a lot more than that.

Vaunting riffs which dance between the atmospheric and the aggressive, Gabestok walks a tightrope over black metal’s divided self, resulting in a fierce, proud, and uncompromising sound, never giving in to weakness nor a specified categorization other than simply being black metal. Don’t believe me? Listen to Én gang rådden, altid rådden closer “Tågens melodi” ahead of the album’s April 15th release below and attempt to parse out each individual element. It’s dark, aggressive, and atmospheric like black metal, but the eventual dual guitar lead and big solo say it might be more metal than that, but then the drums tell a different, more patch-adorned story. Gabestok is a curiosity both in the Denmark scene and at large.

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Én gang rådden, altid rådden releases April 15th on Strange Aeons Records.