Solid Black Metal with an old school vibe, Åskog's debut full length, Varþnaþer, should be more than a blip on the black metal radar. In much the same way as Ordinul Negru's Faustian Nights really surprised me with it's strong songwriting Åskog have done much the same. In fact, the two projects, though thousands of miles apart, really are perfect examples of contemporary Black Metal which remains firmly rooted in Second Wave influences yet still feels fresh and vibrant. Åskog offer something a little more primal, primitive, and aggressive compared to the Romanians, though both utilize melody to an exceptional degree. The strength of the album is likely due to the long-time collaboration of it's creators Adam Chapman and Lars Hansson in their previous band Murdryk. Adam explained the genesis to me. "We wanted to do something new where we shared 100% of the band from the get-go and try slightly different styles of music. There are obviously similarities in the music between the two bands but Åskog has a stronger identity. Originally, the Åskog album would have been the third Murdryck album if we did not decide to start over. However, this album was written from scratch as Åskog and had no songs or music over from Murdryck."
Varþnaþer is a recognizable conglomeration; a song like "Vinter" sounds entirely unique compared to even the next track on the album, "Tid," which itself sounds unique from tracks like "Mane" or "Varg." Each song is built around memorable themes which helps delineate each morsel, while the shared textures of the tracks - thick bass-heavy riffs, powerful full bodied black metal vocals, a dash of experimentation here and there - accumulate into a recognizable entity. And so even though "Vinter", "Tid", and "Mane" are all unique, they are clearly a part of something larger. According to Chapman. "'Vinter' is quite accomplished but started off with very simple riffs. I wanted to keep it simple to create a bleak atmosphere. It's got some weird textures in there but I like how it develops and the hooks that got added along the way. I particularly enjoy the second half and the abrupt ending! 'Tid' is something that started off as drum beat and hook on the guitar but really came alive once Lars put his vocals down and created the prechorus/chorus melodic layers with his vocals. Probably the simplest song but also one of the strongest. 'Måne' is a bit of a throwback to the early Murdryck material with very fast tremolo riffs and tempos." When all is said and done, everything conglomerates into a singular whole.
Thematically, the primitive elements are emphasized through content rooted in black-and-white explorations of 'good' and 'evil', set against natural vistas and imagery. While Hansson wrote all the lyrics for the album, Chapman was able to give some further background on the headspace the albums exists within. "I would say our ideas are more about subjective reality of what we describe as good and evil albeit from a perspective without human interference. Does nature "see" things in terms of good or evil or is it just the way things are? There is no moral conscience at work in nature." The content itself apparently came naturally as well. "We talked about what we should write about. I always said to Lars to write about what you know as he was struggling to come up with ideas. He knew nature so that's what he wrote about it. I think it worked, as he became inspired and wrote text as fast as I could write songs." The Swedish lyrics do not disrupt my enjoyment of the record, however I did have to copy them into a translation website to read them.
The short song titles, and naturalist element gives the album a sense of finality and matter-of-factness. In much the same way as Von was keen to use singular words to help impress a sense of minimalism and primitivism, Åskog use the same technique to focus on the elemental and singular themes of the album. "Vinter" should sound as cold and bleak as it actually does. "Tid" should invoke the gargantuan tolling of some clocktower bell that symbolizes mortality. "Eld" should sound like the lapping flames of a fire licking at dry timber. This ability to create images and a visualization of something specific is a key characteristic of upper echelon Black Metal. Great Death metal doesn't need to create images in the mind and doesn't need to have transcendent underpinnings to be effective, however the best Black Metal always has these attributes. Hopefully, Åskog gift us another album to follow Varþnaþer soon, but Adam is on the fence. "We might do a demo again; we might do an EP or we might do an album. Right now, I don't really know. Lars wants to get going but I am not motivated and kind of tired after working solidly for nearly a year on the demo and album. I am always fluctuating between quitting music for good and writing a new album."
