Two letters separate norwegian black metal legends’ Darkthrone’s A Blaze in the Northern Sky and norwegian power-violence/grindcore trio’s sophomore project Blazed in the Northern Sky, but sonically, there is no way the two could be more different. I mean, one is a black metal classic, which put the genre on the map for many people and the other one is an album that barely clocks in at 15 minutes from a band composed of 3 men in white ski masks (and a very cute cat which appears in their promo material) with super serious song titles such as “No Dogs, No Masters”, “Wo-Tan-Clan”, “Hehemoth” and “Party Like Its 1349”. In spite of that, both albums definitely have their charm and are undoubtedly great examples of well-executed music in each of their respective niches.Some may even find Rat Lord’s latest effort better than Darkthrone.
The record starts off with the aptly titled “North of Hell”, clearly parodying Slayer’s classic “South of Heaven”, something which is one of the recurring themes in the album; parodies. It is a short, but effective, quite (intentionally) cliche grind song, starting and ending with unnatural amounts of guitar , having quick chainsaw guitar riffs, strangely grooving percussion and surprisingly one of the best snare tones I have heard in a while, serious props to them for that. “No Dogs, No Masters”, which could be riffing on Arch Enemy, Machine Head and a bunch of others, basically following in the same vein as the opener, even transitioning perfectly from it. It also has some “slower” parts, obviously meant for two-stepping and hitting others rhythmically.
Eponymous track “Blazed in the Northern Sky” is clearly one of the highlights of the album, having not only some of the best riffs, a catchy chorus (which will have you screaming “I wanna get BLAZED!/Blazed in the northern sky” for a while), but also bringing back the interesting – almost indie-like – style Rat Lord showed in their choruses back in This is Not a Record. It mixes punching and violent grindcore with happy, cleanly sung indie that sounds like a pleasant sunset drive with friends in a coming of age movie. The lyric “you should be afraid, I’ll keep you on your toes” really sums up the whole experience. Long live indieviolence!
“Raised on Kneipp” is a great album track, keeping the energy sky-high for its entire duration and standing out with yet another genius lyric, this time “wow thank you mam, now let me bam bam bam bam bam”, which really rivals some of Shakespeare’s best work in of poesy. One of the sweetest tunes is up next, “Now, Diabetical”, ribbing Satyricon’s “Now, Diabolical” (making Rat Lord Satire-Con). The bass work on “Diabetical” is nothing short of divine, being a perfect soundtrack for slowly walking around the pit, scouting out someone to get in a fight with. It is surely one of the groovier tracks on the album, with the instrumental even being reminiscent of Gutalax at times.
“Wo-Tan-Clan” fits yet again into the “textbook grind” box, having some of the most aggressive lyrics this time around “Its not my fault you suck at life/just spare us all and use the knife”, “No cash, no fame, no trophy wife/Just endless, fucking pointless strife”. “100 000” transitions perfectly from “Wo-Tan” and perfectly carries the previous song’s idea forward as well. “Hehemoth” (wonder who that one is ribbing) does actually slightly flirt with black metal (apart from the brutal hardcoreish snares), bringing a refreshing twist. Notably, it also contains some hidden “anti-poser” propaganda, with “Hahaha, hahaha, you’re just a fake to me” being uttered a few times.
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“I Am the Only Punk in The Village”, said the sample at the start before going into a brutal breakdown. “IAtOPiTV” is defined by its brutal breakdowns, ensuring some quality full-body bangs and generally a lot of fun. For enjoyers of punk, this is, ironically, the song for you, as it does kind of dabble into that sound. The contrast between this last song, clocking in at 49 seconds and the genius “Party Like it’s 1349” lasting for a comparatively mammoth 3 minutes exemplifies perfectly how the up and coming norwegian power trio excels both at minute, but pounding tracks and longer songs, where they can experiment more with different soundscapes, such as “Party Like” and the title track.The latter starts off with an involving riff, having an overall party vibe, making it one of the most accessible off the record, meaning it will probably be one of the most popular. Indieviolence makes a return in the chorus, always being a welcome, refreshing inclusion. Between the “C’C’C’C’ C’mon”s and “This is the reason you’re alone, get off your motherfuckin phone”s (which precede an amazing solo), the words to this one seem a tad personal, with “I won’t take your shit no more” and other verses seemingly directed at someone.
Closer “bYggdrastril” is more indie from the start, with its riff even resembling Blur’s “Song 2” a bit. Apart from that, it has (unironically) the single best lyric I have ever heard in my life, who’s genius can in no way, shape or form be understated: “I’m not trying to convince you, I’m not saying you’re a liar, I’m just looking at your pants and they are on fire”. Lyrically speaking, it also seems like a love song, with some “I want you back”s and “You were the best thing I have ever had”s. Even if it does end pretty abruptly, it encourages the listener to reflect on the crazy 15 minutes they have just been through, prompting repeated listens.
All in all, one of the most fun records of the year, if not the most fun. Blazed takes the super-serious but still incredibly well-made powerviolence formula they had already established in their previous “record”, This is Not a Record (2022) and runs with it, expanding on the humorous but harsh satirical comments towards black metal and genius lyrics. Is it truly better than A Blaze in the Northern Sky? Maybe. Are the lyrics better? For sure. The true beauty of this record is how fun it is. Just straight up fun. It is not uncommon to start laughing out loud while listening to it. The genius of “I’m not trying to convince you, I’m not saying you’re a liar, I’m just looking at your pants and they are on fire” cannot be understated. Go listen to it. By the way, Darkthrone doesn’t have cute cats in their promo materials, so that’s a point for Rat Lord.
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Blazed in the Northern Sky is released 30th August.
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