Sometimes the music is overshadowed by its musicians. With Faust (ex-Emperor/Thorns) in their horde it might also be the case for Djevel, but I am not going to delve in the past of some of the band members. It wouldn’t do justice to this great band and with an already solid discography their newest spawn called “Tanker Som Rir Natten” manage to enthral my speakers and subwoofers.

Djevel masters the art of creating excellent mid-nineties veined Black Metal, and “Tanker Som Rir Natten”, consisting of six songs is no exception. Six lengthy songs I must add because with exclusion of the title track all songs are about ten minutes or more. The journey starts with the dark gem “Englene som falt ned i min seng, skal jeg sette fri med brukne vinger og torneglorier” which has great tension build up and manages to enthral me with superb gloomy riffs. This song really makes my skin crawl. As a result goosebumps all over my skin, and that should say something doesn’t it?

Follow up “Maanen skal være mine øine, den skinnende stierne mine ben, og her skal jeg vandre til evig tid” starts slightly more aggressive without forgetting its melancholic touch. Another strong song where the simply great riffs manage to enthral the listeners eardrums. “En krone for et øie som ser alt, tusind torner for en sønn som var alt” is aided by some simple yet effective keyboards which make it an utterly overwhelming track which sucks you in and will let you go until the doom and gloom is over. The title track itself is an acoustic intermezzo which makes sure that “Naar maanen formørker solen i en dødelig dans, ber jeg moder jord opp til en siste vals” makes an even more melancholic impression. Last but not least “Vinger som tok oss over en brennende himmel, vinger som tok oss hjem” results in a climax which makes you sit on the edge of your seat. Aided by an acoustic intermezzo this song shows everything Djevel has to offer on this album, and that means well written tracks, with excellent production and gifted musicians who know how to make high quality Black Metal tracks.

All the lyrics are in Norwegian language. So if you want to know what they are about please find out yourself. I do not need the lyrics to grasp the feeling of this album. Together with the fitting cover photo this album makes me put my boots on venture to the forest and put Djevel on my media player. I don’t think this band needs any references but when listening Kvist and even the German Imperium Dekadenz come up in my mind. And now dear reader….please indulge me and support this great band. Get yourself a physical copy now! It simply won’t disappoint.

Score: 8,4 / 10

Label: Aftermath Music
Review made by: Erik

Tracklist:

1. Englene som falt ned i min seng, skal jeg sette fri med brukne vinger og torneglorier 09:42
2. Maanen skal være mine øine, den skinnende stierne mine ben, og her skal jeg vandre til evig tid 09:53
3. En krone for et øie som ser alt, tusind torner for en sønn som var alt 09:53
4. Tanker som rir natten 03:55
5. Naar maanen formørker solen i en dødelig dans, ber jeg moder jord opp til en siste vals 10:48
6. Vinger som tok oss over en brennende himmel, vinger som tok oss hjem