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Vetter: Vetterkult

08/05/13 || jaimeviejo

During my first visit to Oslo last Christmas, besides thinking about how cold and wet my feet were, I couldn’t get rid of thoughts of musicians walking around those streets or hiding in frozen warehouses rehearsing tunes that were going to be labeled as black metal. What were they thinking? How was Norwegian society at that time? How was their music seen from the outside world? How did they manage to translate the cold into music?

One of the places that I had to visit was Neseblod records in the Grunneloka district. At first I was confused about how nice and domesticated it looked. Book stores, antiques, coffee shops, all aligned and designed to perfection to create a homey but empty feeling of isolation. I didn’t have in mind getting anything in particular at the store, just maybe a classic Norwegian black metal album and t-shirt.

The owner suggested me this album as it was released by his label, Demonhood Productions. At first I was a bit reluctant to accept his recommendation, as I thought this was a clever move to sell his label’s material to a foreigner; also, I don’t consider myself a fan of contemporary black metal, I’m more of a romantic when it comes to Satan’s music, so the idea of not getting a “classic Norwegian album” wasn’t in my agenda. But in the end, I agreed.

Vetter is a one-man black metal band by Håvard Tveito that is being labeled as industrial black metal. While I wouldn’t go as a far as to call this album industrial, it is true that it uses some discordant and noisy elements and droning atmospheres, but in essence it is an old school black metal album with a more disturbing makeup on. An example of this different approach could be the distorted bass ridden “Brennoffer”.

The recording to my ears is just perfect for the style. Cold, noisy, old and not very clear at times, but it works impeccably translating the oppressive sound into sonic waves. I really dig the moody elements too and the whole vibe of the recording. There is an obvious Burzum influence, from the hypnotic and droning instrumental “Slatten” to the more brutal black metal discharges like the stompers “Brattefoss” or “Vetterkult”.

The album starts with a haunting and cinematic intro titled “Over Havet” which sets the mood. Then it continues with one of the best tracks on the album, “Et folk av Karrig”, a typical black metal song that has a great bass work and some arpeggio guitar arrangements that add creepiness to the already-sinister tune. “Peters Vise” at first sounds a bit out of context as it is a folk Norwegian song with some 70’s prog-rock arrangements, but it ends up being very enjoyable. The album ends with “Vetterkult” which is a complete hypnotic assault that has a riff infused with some Krallice flavor.

“Vetterkult” is an album that is half/half inspired by the past and the present in a way that I never heard before. In black metal, bands are so worried about sounding cold and grim that they make the albums unlistenable, but in this case, the balance between old school sound and clarity is well done.

This is one of the best black metal albums I have purchased in a very long time. It has character, atmosphere, cool riffs, and a noisy edge. It is totally recommended for adventurous listeners and evil spirits.

8,5

Information
Released: 2012
Label: Demonhood Productions
Website: Vetter Facebook
Band
Håvard Tveito: vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and anything else
Tracklist
01. Over Havet
02. Et Folk Av Karrig Jord
03. Brennoffer
04. Slåtten
05. Brattefoss
06. Gamal Reinlender
07. Peters Vise
08. Stenklang
09. Vetterkult

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