(written by Islander)
The lineup of the Norwegian metal band Helvitnir have resumes that make fans of black metal sit up straight and pay attention. They include three recent former members of Ragnarok, and two of those are also in Myronath. And their drummer is none other than Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg).
In July 2024, following several singles, Helvitnir released their debut EP Helborn on the esteemed Dusktone label, and it proved to be a masterful four-song blend of raw, chilling aggression and majestic, grandiose compositions that both honored the old ways of black metal from the far north and pushed it forward.
That EP did well, and so now Helvitnir and Dusktone have joined forces again for the release of the band’s debut album Wolves of the Underworld on March 14th. What we have for you today is the premiere of a lyric video for the album track “Draugr“, and we want to begin our introduction with Helvitnir‘s own description of what it brings us:
“Here is the ending track from our upcoming release Wolves of the Underworld, whose lyrics revolve around a mystic sword, forged by the Frostgiants, solely made to be wielded by those who are worthy of it, and those who are, shall be blessed by the powers of Hel. Draugr is also the name of this magical sword. A very melodic piece of music which we think shows the versatility of the band and an interesting acoustic outro to leave the listener with a feeling of gloom.”
When you hear the song, it will make sense why the band named it for a mystical sword forged by Frostgiants and blessed by the powers of Hel.
On the one hand, Helvitnir discharge dense, viciously scathing riffs that rise and fall with hellish energy. They propel the music with fluidly hurtling bass-lines along with furiously blasting and rapidly tumbling (but razor-sharp) beats, and they add to the adrenaline fuel of the attack with gritty, teeth-bared snarls.
On another hand, they coldly stalk, deliver punchy bass slugs, and whirl the guitars in ways that create sensations of dark magic. That’s a highly headbangable sequence, and sets the stage for a weirdly warping guitar solo that enhances the music’s aura of chilling sorcery. The soloing continues eerily surfacing even after the band go on the attack again, bringing the two main aspects of the song together.
And as the band explain above, this exhilarating song ends with a brief but big contrast, a somber yet entrancing acoustic guitar melody.
HELVITNIR is:
Hellhammer – Drums
Ihizahg – Guitars
Bjarkan – Guitars
Hellcommander Vargblod – Bass, Vocals
On March 14th Dusktone will release Wolves of the Underworld on LP, limited LP, CD, boxset CD, limited tape, and digital formats. Explore the options via the pre-order links below.
In addition, two more songs from the album can now be heard at Dusktone‘s Bandcamp — “Throes of Transformation” and “Void of Emptiness“.
PRE-ORDER:
https://dusktone.bandcamp.com/album/wolves-of-the-underworld
https://www.dusktone.org/?s=helvitnir&id=113425&post_type=product
HELVITNIR:
https://linktr.ee/helvitnir
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553432733212