OFERMOD: “DRAKOSOPHIA”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Nov 242025
 

(We present Daniel Barkasi’s review of a new album from the Swedish black metal band Ofermod, which was released on October 3rd by Shadow Records.)

Good old-fashioned, second wave, ritualistic, riff-centric black metal is a distinct sort of flavor profile that admittedly has been done many times; a particular sound that represents a sort of comfort zone to these ears. Those who purvey that sound were my gateway into a much larger and diverse universe of black metal, and when that feeling is captured and executed precisely, we’re all in. Enter Ofermod, the vehicle of the enigmatic Belfagor, who has cycled through a fair number of members throughout the years – especially vocalists. Through it all, however, the style has stayed remarkably consistent; a testament to Belfagor’s focused vision.

Albums such as Sol Nox and Mysterium Iniquitatis serve as the best examples of what Ofermod have to offer up to now, both being albums that are recalled when seeking this archetype of black metal. Now we have Drakosophia, with a new vocalist in tow in Adeptus (who is now a former member – more on that later), and the resultant is familiar and wholly satisfying. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: VALLETTA, OFERMOD, KAECK, ILDARUNI, MULM, HYPNOSINOSIS

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK  1 Response »
Sep 072025
 

(written by Islander)

In this week’s edition of SHADES OF BLACK I’ve called attention to recent songs excerpted from forthcoming albums by four bands. After that I’ve highlighted two recently released albums that really made an impact on my addled head and heart. And “highlighted” is the right word, because I just haven’t had enough time to give either of them the more comprehensive review they deserve. But as I always tell myself on days like this, something is surely better than nothing.

I’m not sure I have a coherent way of trying to sketch out how the musical experiences change from one selected band to the next. They’re all diabolical in their own ways, but you might get a couple of instances of whiplash as musical shifts occur. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OFERMOD — “INAX YA LIL”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Nov 102021
 

The formidable Swedish black/death band Ofermod has wasted no time returning with a new album, just a year after 2020’s Pentagrammaton (which was itself a double album). The new one is entitled Mysterium Iniquitatis, and it’s set for release on December 3rd by Shadow Records (with distribution by Regain). It  sees the original lineup joined together once again – Belfagor on guitar and vocalist Nebiros (Malign, Mephorash) – with session bass by Magnus “Devo” Andersson (ex-Marduk) and session drums by Calle Larsson.

The first “single” from the record was the title track, which also begins the album. It made a tremendous impression, and today we present another one of the new album tracks that also relentlessly seizes attention. This one is named “Inax Ya Lil“. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: OFERMOD, PROFECI, SORGUINAZIA, HELLIGE, TRUUS, FLESIA, LAMP OF MURMUUR

 SHADES OF BLACK  7 Responses »
Sep 192021
 

 

I got a spike of excitement from a couple of of Bandcamp alerts, only to feel letdown after clicking them. One was for a new Cantique Lepreux release, but none of the songs are streaming there yet. The other was for a new Wormlust release, but there’s no page for it yet, or maybe there was and it got pulled. But it’s just as well, because I already had more to write about for this week’s column than time to write about them.

What you’ll find below are six advance tracks from forthcoming releases and then a pair of full releases that surfaced from the same band within the last couple of days.

OFERMOD (Sweden)

Ofermod wasted no time returning with a new album, just a year after 2020’s Pentagrammaton (which was itself a double album). The new one is entitled Mysterium Iniquitatis, and it  sees the original lineup joined together once again – Belfagor on guitar and vocalist Nebiros (Malign, Mephorash) – with session bass by Magnus “Devo” Andersson (ex-Marduk) and session drums by Calle Larsson. Continue reading »

A DIRTY DOZEN

 Album Reviews  10 Responses »
Sep 162017
 

 

(Andy Synn is playing catch-up in a furious torrent, with brief reviews and streams of music from 12 striking 2017 albums.  Open wide… dine like queens and kings.)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again (and again)… the vast array of music now available at the touch of a button is both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you look at it.

And while I generally celebrate the fact that I’m now able to search out and discover music from all around the world with an ease that’s quite mind-boggling when you think about it, the sheer plethora of albums clamouring for my attention means there’s simply not enough hours in the day to give them all the attention they deserve.

As a consequence of this, my “to do” list has swollen to a frankly rather distressing size over the last 4-5 months, so I’ve made an executive decision to clear my slate a little bit by pulling together twelve albums, which we’ve thus far failed to cover properly here at NCS, into one collective round-up.

So, without further ado, let’s get to it, shall we? Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: OFERMOD, PURE WRATH, ARS MAGNA UMBRAE, NADDRED, FOVITRON, TIIL SUM

 SHADES OF BLACK  10 Responses »
Feb 262017
 

 

As ever, I’m up to my eyebrows in new music drawn from a black vein that I want to recommend. For this SHADES OF BLACK episode, I’ve picked songs from forthcoming releases and complete new albums and EPs. I have pitifully few words to offer in praise of those complete releases. They deserve more, but I haven’t yet figured out how to stop time or even slow it down, and a few sentences of introduction are all my time allows me at the moment.

Please do try to allocate some of your own time to the music in this large collection. As as is often the case, I made these selections to provide a diversity of styles within the multifaceted genre of black metal.

OFERMOD

Sweden’s Ofermod includes members of such bands as Serpent Noir, Nefandus, Head of the Demon, and Mortuus (among others). The band’s first EP was released in 1998 and their subsequent releases have included two albums (in 2008 and 2012) and a 2014 EP (Serpents Dance). They are now at work on a new album named Sol Nox that will be released by Shadow Records at some point later this year, which will include lyrics written by Dr. Thomas Karlsson, founder of the draconian Order Dragon Rouge. The striking artwork was created by Cold Poison. Continue reading »