Vemod's "The Deepening" Honors Their Black Metal Roots (Review)

About a decade or so ago, momentum gathered around a clutch of incestuous Norwegian bands centered on the far-flung city of Trondheim. This concept of "Nidrosian" black metal, referring to the city's medieval name, had an austere devotion to the country's extreme musical heritage–namely, the occult, the arcane, and the satanic, funneled through an ugly, violent, and raw approach that harked back to progenitors like Mayhem or Ildjarn.

The aesthetic was unassailable, with many acts finding a home with Trondheim-based Terratur Possessions and Fossbrenna Creations. Corpse paint, candelabras, ritual props, "Xeroxed" demo art… all the things people tend to love about underground black metal, the Norwegian Second Wave, and Slayer magazine were being kept on life support by this relatively young group of musicians. It was arguably a direct response to black metal's global export and the sense that Norway's grip was loosening as bands from the States and other European countries came to the fore with their own interpretations. A "No, this is how you play black metal," if you will.

Many of these Nidrosian groups–Min Kniv, Celestial Bloodshed, and One Tail, One Head, to name a few–did not stand the test of time, probably counting themselves lucky if they managed to record one full-length in their brief careers. The killing of Steingrim Torson Brissach, who was involved in more than a few of these bands, put paid to that. Others profess to still be in operation despite a paucity of releases, while Whoredom Rife seems to be the most consistently active of the bunch, though they also shared members with a number of these dissolved bands at some point or another.

But throughout that period, there was one outlier rubbing shoulders with Nidrosian black metal that fit like a square peg in a round hole despite featuring members from One Tail, One Head, Black Majesty, and Mare, among others.

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In 2012, Vemod released their debut album, Venter på stormene ("Waiting For The Storms"), and with it discarded the established norms of the scene like a sober older brother. Though still anchored in traditional black metal, Venter på stormene was more focused on uplifting movements and dreamlike atmospheres than bludgeoning the listener with occult imagery. It was a beautiful and emotive record, if still raw in the production department.

Then Vemod dropped off the face of the planet, and fans were left wondering whether this was yet another one-off from a notoriously fickle scene. Thankfully, good things come to those who wait (nearly 12 years, in this case), as the band make their return this month with The Deepening on Prophecy Productions.

Formed around compositions of guitarist Jan Even Åsli, who comes across as a gentleman and a scholar in interviews, The Deepening is an impressive evolution on Vemod's debut. Right out of the gates, "Mot oss en ild" ("Against Us A Fire") boasts a rich synth drone with mournful clean strums running over the top. It's a far cry from the raw, early '90s blast of the album's predecessor.

The contemplative atmosphere doesn't last long, however, shattered by familiar "black metal" territory with "Der guder dor" ("There Gods Die"). This is more along the lines of what made Venter på stormene such a hypnotic listen–extremely aggressive playing by all parties despite heart-wrenching and ecstatic melodies–but this time round it sounds so much fuller bodied and vital.

Åsli has said that he opts for whatever level of production fits the music. In this case, then, it seems that Vemod feels the time is now to drop the lo-fi Nidrosian trappings and focus on capturing the expansive wilds of their homeland (the cover art is by Norwegian landscape painter Ørnulf Opdahl). About halfway through "Der guder dor," the assault gives way to a much slower and fluid section with lead guitars somewhat evocative of David Gilmour from Pink Floyd. Indeed, by the close of the 13-minute track, Vemod is having a full-on psychedelic wig-out, accompanied by choral vocals.

This relationship between fiercely tremolo-picked chords and effects-laden leads is a recurrent theme of The Deepening. "True North Beckons" again takes its time building tension with pummeling metal, but eventually this melts away into lilting, orchestral passages. In fact, following this album, Vemod would probably go down a storm on a post-rock billing.

Punctuating the halfway point of the album is "Fra drommenes bok I" ("From Book I of Dreams"), remarkable for its multilayered acapella harmonies, drenched in reverb, almost giving the impression of a monastic chant. Following this short breather, "Inn I lysande natt" ("Into The Brilliant Night") completely shifts gears, putting the blast beats aside for a driving krautrock rhythm that would be the perfect accompaniment on a desert highway in the dead of night. Åsli's clean singing also takes center stage here, as opposed to drummer Eskil Blix's inhuman rasping found across the other tracks. Yet the 16-minute, self-titled epic that closes out The Deepening sees these two vocal approaches complement and intertwine each other.

Does all this make Vemod (dare we say it) post-black metal? The band describe themselves as "dark ethereal metal," if that helps, but we doubt they give a toss about being pigeonholed this way or that. Those involved certainly go to the effort of drawing a line between Vemod and their other projects, but if you often find yourself in the realms where black metal and post-rock collide, this will be right down your alley.

–Richard Currie

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The Deepening releases today via Prophecy Productions.