CoC : Ildjarn - Forest Poetry : Review

Ildjarn - _Forest Poetry_
(Napalm Records/Norse League, 1996)
by: Henry Akeley (7 out of 10)

Wow. This stuff is so unbelievably primitive, raw, and malicious, that it makes Darkthrone sound like the Sisters of Mercy! If some anti-social, prehistoric shaman bought a cheap electric guitar and played -very- loud black metal while pissed off and wigging on psychoactive drugs, the result would probably sound a lot like _Forest Poetry_. But you know what? I actually mean that as a compliment, because I actually think this is pretty damn cool. I mean, this stuff is just -so- antithetical to accepted ideas of what counts as "good music," and it takes primal energy and crudity to -such- an extreme, that it makes for fascinating listening. The product of one man alone (Ildjarn himself), it's 22 short tracks of twisted, simplistic power in which weirdly distorted chainsaw riffing, booming bass, rudimentary drum-bashing, and vicious scowling vocals come together for an all-out assault on cleanliness and quiet. As with other projects of this type, the result can make for very interesting listening, once you get used to the totally wacked out sound. (Great packaging, too.) Other black metal bands are big on mood, right? Well, check out Ildjarn, and hear the atmosphere that an unrelenting maelstrom of primitivity can summon up.

(article published 2/1/1997)