### Skogen: Eld

#### 29/10/12 || sincan

The three man piece with the beloved band name Skogen is back with a new offering, entitled “Eld” (for you non-vikings, eld means fire). While writing this review I realized that I hadn’t payed much attention too their logo. I guess that happens from time to time for me since I usually assume that band names are written somehow in the typical extreme metal logotype style being created by throwing up your pasta bolognese together with barbed wire. Well, when I finally payed some attention I firstly realized that it looks neat, secondly I didn’t get how the fuck it is supposed to say Skogen. So if someone out there is getting it, don’t hesitate to enlighten me and the rest of the world.

The first thing that hit me while listening to this record was that their sound had changed a bit. Huge parts of the moose, deer, wolf and fir-tree celebrating forest inspired black metal is on this album gone. And instead some additional parts of darkness and death have been added with a slightly touch of sulfur just to get it dirtier, the track “Svavelpsalm” have for instance some Watain sounding guitars. “Eld” is actually a really fitting name for this album. I guess it all depends on your sexual preferences whether you like the former or the latter Skogen. I’m leaning towards the former when it comes to Skogen and after the first couple of listenings I was kind of disappointed actually. Then I forced it, real hard (insert your own sexual reference), to get into this album since I wanted too.

Some billion times later I must say that it has grown a bit and I’m not that disappointed anymore. However it still bothers me a bit that they changed sound. Old good Skogen is back when they play their instrumental parts and these parts are really good and mixes up the material on this album in a fine way. One can say that these instrumental journeys are benefiting the heavier stuff because some of those parts lacks some individuality and tend to blur into each other for some moments. Yet I have to say that this is not a huge problem, but it is there from time to time.

Another thing worth mentioning is that every song have brilliant parts of different kind, e.g. a nice bass line or a chorus or a solo or whatnot which makes each song more individual. I must also say something more about the bass ,which is actually audible (surprise!), and it is the fact that it’s used in a nice manner during the entire record, more or less. This adds always adds some spice in the black metal world.

My final verdict is that I like their previous album “Svitjod” a bit more actually, but “Eld” is a grower so I don’t know what I will think in the future.

- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Frostscald Records
- Website: Skogen MySpace
- Band
- Mathias Nilsson: bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Joakim Svensson: bass, guitars, vocals
- L. Larsson: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Djävulens eld
- 02. Apokalypsens vita dimma
- 03. Genom svarta vatten
- 04. Nihil sine morte
- 05. Aska
- 06. Svavelpsalm
- 07. Orcus labyrint
- 08. Monolit