REVIEW: Evig Hat – Utbyrd
Black metal seamlessly combined with traditional Norwegian folk music.
Evig Hat is a Norwegian Black/Folk Metal band that does both styles incredibly well. It’s too dark to be just regular “folk metal” (more dark storybook art than LARPing) and too mixed between folk parts, black metal and heavy metal soloing to be just fixated in one place. The band name is very metal translation of “Eternal Hate” (not to be confused to be with sellers of evil trilbys, Hats Barn) At first I thought much of the stringed instrumentation on this album was the Finnish aka: denied country -style of the kantele but on second listen it turns out it’s the Norse variation called langeleik which has a similar tonality. The stirring chords from this instrument along with the heavy steady riffing pays off well. At times they can get a a lot of mileage out of just 3 chords. Evig Hat is just 1 member – the simply named, Satan aka: Espen Myklebust aka: Kong Skrotum (“King Scrotum”) when he’s in the equally goofy named band, Mannepenis (the translation here is simple). Seems that Evig Hat is his serious project and well, it certainly comes off that way.
The second track, “Et Håp i Mørket” ( “A Hope In Darkness”) uses seemingly opposing parts of langeleik and maybe a bit of and the fiddle-like nyckleharpa contrasting with slow to mid-paced heavy sounds. Although “Livets Forbannelse” plays around more with a black/doom crossed with a sad folk vibe which is a slight parallel to Drudkh’s “Blood in our Wells”. Following this section it comes in with a nice sweeping melody that mixes the heavy guitars with more langeleik. Said melody sounds like an update of the Satyr/Fenriz/Kari Rueslåtten project, Storm. “Skogbrann” (Forest Fire”) shifts from very fast to mid-paced headbangin’ tempos with mouth harp thrown in and back has a dark, sort of uh… “Curb Your Evig-ism” part mixed with bright & strummy langeleik tones. Mr. Satan goes all the way with blending folk strums and get ready for more “shreddy helvete” solos on the final tracks “Den dødes profeti (“The Dead Prophet”) and “Forent i døden” (“United in Death”). Also, of of note is the “Theodore Kittlelsen meets drawings for Stranger Things” album cover (or hell, maybe it is Kittelsen?) Overall, well worth your time if you’re looking for something different in Norsk Svart Metal and something to keep you occupied this winter while envisioning snow-capped mountains and misty forests.
Utbyrd warrants 4.5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
