CoC : Nifelheim - Nifelheim : Review

Nifelheim - _Nifelheim_
(Necropolis Records, 1995)
by: Henry Akeley (7 out of 10)

Well, it has finally happened: the first totally retro black metal band. Way back in the days before death metal exploded, before everybody started down-tuning and gurgling about fetuses, 'necrotomies' and what not, there were bands like Sodom, Destruction, and Kreator. On seminal early releases like Kreator's _Pleasure to Kill_ and Sodom's _In the Sign of Evil_, these outfits cranked up the speed and the viciousness to heights just barely glimpsed by the likes of Venom and Slayer. Hearing Nifelheim rip through eight tracks in 29 minutes, you get the impression that these guys have hardly ever listened to anything else save the first two Bathory albums and the debut record by Possessed. So if you're a fan of the crazy mid-80's sound that pre-dates the emergence of black, death and thrash as largely distinct metallic styles, you'll definitely appreciate Nifelheim. If you're not familiar with all this older stuff, you could do worse than to check this out and hear the maniacal style that inspired so many different facets of today's underground scene. "Unholy Death", "Possessed by Evil", and "Storm of Satan's Fire" are especially noteworthy tracks, but the entire disc rips it up pretty good. Definitely a welcome departure from the current metallic norm.

(article published 18/4/1996)

ALBUMS
1/9/1998	P Azevedo	6	Nifelheim - Devil's Force