ORMSKRIK

Ormskrik FYSISK FORMAT

Nordic blackened thrashers claw their way out of the kvlt trappings

Ormskrik aren’t the fastest or nastiest band in continental blackened thrash right now, but damned if they aren’t the most ambitious. Where their contemporaries are content to put out records that sound like they were caught on a grubby tape in the late 80s, Ormskrik have drafted in super-swede Daniel Bergstrand to ensure their sound is crushingly imperious while showcasing the musicianship on display. That’s the thing; Ormskrik are fast and heavy, but not so caught up in manufacturing kvlt cred that these are the only things defining them. Snarlers Destroyer Of Worlds and Helheim put an anthemic spin on post-80s extreme metal, repurposing it in a similar manner to what Sarcófago and Sodom did to heavy metal iconography four decades years ago, suggesting a few more anthems might set them on the road to conquest. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Condor, Skeletonwitch, Black Fast RICH HOBSON