Kampfar - Ofidians Manifest
Key Facts
Country: 🇳🇴
Genre: Black Metal
Release Date: 3rd May 2019
Record Label(s): Indie Recordings
Highest Chart Position: N/A
Band Members:
Dolk (Per Joar Spydevold) — vocals
Ask (Ask Ty Ulvhedin Bergli Arctander) — vocals, drums
Ole (Ole Hartvigsen) — guitar
Jon (Jon Bakker) — bass
Review
Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Favourite Track(s): Ophidian, Dominans, Natt
Earth shattering and relentless Kampfar have released a ball breaker of an album brimming with brutality and atmosphere in equal measure. It definitely inspires a rage and bloodlust and a need to wage war on the next unsuspecting victim that innocently wanders into my patch of dark and evil forest. If there is one thing that I can compare this album to is Myrkur's 2017 release Mareridt but on a viking dosage of steroids. With the majority of it being sung in Norwegian (which as you know by now that I love it when bands sing in their native language) for me gives the music a very hypnotic vibe weaving in-between it's epic atmospheres.
Combining the best black metal elements with Viking and classical style chants, intertwined with more folk like passages and textures, Kampfar have intricately worked in elements that will take repeat listens to pick up and appreciate properly. Although its not strictly what I would consider as clean singing there are passages in this album with really melodic vocals over the blistering guitars and drums, which I feel adds some creative contrast to the overall pieces. Either way the imagery that is created in my mind while listening to the songs takes me to an ice cold Norway in the depths of winter as well as a Norway succumbing to the trip of Autumn.
Dominans has to be my favourite track out of my three favourites, as the female vocal (which sounds like Faroese vocalist Eivør) and horn sound in the beginning have this really creepy and shamanic vibe to it. When this horn effect returns halfway through the song, it sounds like it is a battle cry or the start of some deeply enchanting and mystifying ritual that would take me to another realm. It demonstrates a really good use of arrangement and composition in my opinion.
Considering the amount of elements, layers and textures in this album it's mixed really well. I feel like it has captured a space and time that cannot be recreated, just music in the moment and I love that rough edge to a recording. Compared to 2015's Profan, Ofidians Manifest utilises a few more progressive and experimental passages in its composition and production, where as Profan leant more towards the traditional black metal template. Overall, I'm impressed with this album and its atmosphere has been added to by today's rain. The only thing I would say that is negative is I think the folk elements could have been used a bit more, sometimes it felt like there was something building but I think it was cut off as soon as it launched into the metal sections so there was no real payoff for some of the slower sections.
Kampfar have created an awesome album packed to the brim with mystery and intrigue for me, plenty to analyse over multiple listens and I know it won't be leaving my rotation any time soon!
Kampfar - Ophidian (Music Video)
Dominans has to be my favourite track out of my three favourites, as the female vocal (which sounds like Faroese vocalist Eivør) and horn sound in the beginning have this really creepy and shamanic vibe to it. When this horn effect returns halfway through the song, it sounds like it is a battle cry or the start of some deeply enchanting and mystifying ritual that would take me to another realm. It demonstrates a really good use of arrangement and composition in my opinion.
Considering the amount of elements, layers and textures in this album it's mixed really well. I feel like it has captured a space and time that cannot be recreated, just music in the moment and I love that rough edge to a recording. Compared to 2015's Profan, Ofidians Manifest utilises a few more progressive and experimental passages in its composition and production, where as Profan leant more towards the traditional black metal template. Overall, I'm impressed with this album and its atmosphere has been added to by today's rain. The only thing I would say that is negative is I think the folk elements could have been used a bit more, sometimes it felt like there was something building but I think it was cut off as soon as it launched into the metal sections so there was no real payoff for some of the slower sections.
Kampfar have created an awesome album packed to the brim with mystery and intrigue for me, plenty to analyse over multiple listens and I know it won't be leaving my rotation any time soon!
Kampfar - Ophidian (Music Video)
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