Koldbrann – Ingen Skansel
Band: Koldbrann
Album: Ingen Skansel
Label: Dark Essence Records
Release date: August 23rd 2024
Country: Norway
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording
Norwegian black metal saw a resurgence in the last decade, with the rise of bands such as Mork, Whoredom Rife, Endezzma and many others. One such band is Koldbrann, which have been putting out music consistently since their inception back in 2022, be it demos, full length albums or EPs. Their fourth album, “Ingen Skansel” is a raw, eerie record with a strong influence from, most obviously Urgehal, and other well known acts from the Norwegian scene. However, it still comes off sounding authentic, the band using creative songwriting and excellent riffs to give this record a unique mood, This album was actually my introduction to Koldbrann, since I had never heard of them before they were announced in the lineup for next year’s edition of the “Underground for the Masses” festival. Needless to say, I was intrigued, and decided to give them a try, and I was not disappointed.
“Ingen Skansel” opens up with the title track, a seemingly slow, atmospheric song, but that impression is shattered quite quickly when there’s a sudden rhythm shift, and it turns into a high paced, groovy headbanger. The riffing is complex, including both harsh and atmospheric elements, that help emphasize the rhythm changes within the song. The mood is very dark and foreboding, creating a sense of tension that only increases as the song progresses.
“Et uomtvistelig falsum” is one of the most dramatic songs from the album. Every aspect of it is meant to convey and unmistakeable feeling of morbid grandeur. The fast paced parts alternate with doomy ones, the vocal performance roams above the instrumental like a ghostly screech, and the guitars carry a dark melody which ties everything together into something truly anthem-like, perhaps a hymn of sorts.
“I unaturnens vold” is a shorter, yet very intense song, that shifts the dramatic atmosphere from its predecessor into an unrelenting assault of pure black metal. It also carries an uncanny resemblance to Tsjuder, which makes this all the more interesting. This is the kind of track that takes trademark features from the bands before, and uses them to create something completely new. A small downside of this song is that, at least in my opinion, it is over a bit too soon, and it could have used a little bit more time to develop some musical ideas, but this is something that can easily be overlooked, and doesn’t affect the quality of the song as much as it may seem from my description.
Up next there is “Prosesjon under blyhimmel” and the thing that struck me right of the bat with this one is the fact that the intro riff is something straight out of Black Sabbath’s debut album. Besides this cool detail, the song itself is a powerful track, full of great riffs and numerous passages that will leave you wanting more. The atmosphere is very gloomy and undoubtedly claustrophobic, the doomy pace being at the root of this atmosphere. The combination of the pacing and harsh guitar tone makes it feel quite literally crushing, even in the more high tempo passages.
“Der kryper kaldt” is a short interlude track, comprised only out of a faint riff and atmospheric ambience. Despite its simplicity and apparent random placement within the album, it does a great job in creating tension and interest after the ending of “Prosesjon under blyhimmel”.
Coming in with full force, “Maskiner av nihil” brings back all that aggression and drama of the first tracks of the record, this time with an even stronger punch, I may say. The whole song, from start to finish, is unrelenting, tense, and undoubtedly eerie. The closest thing that comes to mind when listening to this is the sound of early Armagedda records, but with that specific Norwegian feel. The drumming on this track is particularly remarkable in terms of complexity, and this is where most of the song’s dynamism stems from.
“Forstanden seiler sin egen sjo” follows its predecessor in terms of intensity, this time however, with a hint of black ’n’ roll. The song itself is very groovy and catchy, featuring thrashy riffing and mid paced drumming. There is a lot more emphasis put on the vocals on this song than on any other from the album. This is the kind of song that would go really well in a live performance, and I am looking forward to see if the band will include it in their setlists.
“Fortaerer av mine og form” continues the pummeling and plundering, this time for almost the entire duration of the song. This is also my favourite song on the album, not only due to its intensity, but also due to the dramatic riffing and mood. If I were to recommend a song from the album to someone looking to get into Koldbrann, this is the one that my mind would go to first. It has all the cool elements that make this band interesting, and it is also one hell of a banger in itself.
“Rykk skaperverket opp med roten” tones down the aggression a little bit, and replaces it with more melodic riffs and a better defined atmosphere. The song itself tends to lean on the slow side for most of its duration, which brings back that previously mentioned sensation of claustrophobia. It is very mysterious sounding, and a little bit of an oddball in the album, but this only makes all the cool elements it has stand out more, which is definitely a win in my book.
Approaching the end of the album, “Vorde eres farkost en katafalk” is another atmospheric interlude, although with more complex instrumentation and better defined structure. It resembles a funeral march , and it is a good way to signal that the ending of the record is approaching.
The album closes with “Serenade til dodens elende”, a song that mirrors the title track, both in terms of structure and overall sound. It closes the circle, so to say, and it invites the listener to contemplate on what he has listened to. It is very captivating and immersive, with a strong meditative quality which makes it seem almost enthralling, in a sense. I have trouble putting into words the multitude of types of atmosphere contained within this song.
“Ingen Skansel” is without a doubt a great album that is worth checking out. It actually sparked my curiosity about the band’s previous releases, which I am looking forward to listening to in the following days. I recommend it without a doubt. 9.5/10 by Ioana
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