#nifelheim — Public Fediverse posts

Vengeful trickster fairies, a realm of impenetrable cold and boundless frost, a dragon gnawing away at the roots of the World Tree; Norse iconography is intense, and metal bands have known this at least since Led Zeppelin. Sweden’s Fejd, a folk metal group formed in 2001 from the folk duo Rimmerfors and the prog-thrash band Pathos,1 have been weaving Norse history and mythology into their acoustics-forward heavy metal for decades. They were last heard with 2016’s Trolldom, followed by a decade of inactivity as far as new music is concerned. But now, drummer Esko Sallow, keyboardist Lennart Specht, bassist Thomas Antonsson, vocalist/moraharpa player Niklas Rimmerfors, and multi-instrumentalist Patrik Rimmerfors2 have taken the Fejd banner to Nifelheim, the Norse realm of ice and an album steeped in mist-wrapped mystery. Fejd sing in Swedish and, being a Swiss-cheese-brained American, I can’t tell you if they capture their “Nordic melancholy” in lyricism. But can they musically?

“Folk metal” encompasses a lot of different sounds; the way Fejd do it, Nifelheim is folk, folk metal. Fejd’s approach immediately reminded me of The Hu’s early material, where amidst the great score of acoustic instrumentation, keyboards, and drums, not one distorted guitar appears. This is no issue. The lively, drone-noted strumming on “Edsvuren” and “Sköldborg”‘s Amon Amarthesque fighting riffs prove Fejd can bring the goods without them. Nifelheim’s acoustic soundscape—beautifully captured in a warm and dynamic mastering job—smells of sea salt on “Älvagrimmar” with its wind-swept majesty and “Strilja”‘s medieval jauntiness and Sgàile-like grandeur. On first listen, I was quickly and easily engrossed. Nifelheim doesn’t actually sound Nordic—like most Viking-y folk music these days, Fejd mostly play a hodgepodge of Asian and Eastern European instruments—but it nonetheless sounds like a dip into the primordial world.

Fejd use a lot of instruments on Nifelheim, and brother, you better believe they’re using them all in the same song. “Nidhögg” navigates between mouth harp,3 a plethora of strings, synthesizers, and group vocals while the title track opens to a cavalcade of drums, horns, and synchronized string riffs to bombastic effect. Nifelheim is just about always like this. But what’s crazy is that Nifelheim never sounds overly crowded. This owes partly to its aforementioned mix but also Fejd’s delicate songcraft, which sees pieces sliding in and out of the music in seamless, natural transitions. But what’s similarly baffling is that, though Fejd weave such big compositions together, Nifelheim still sounds kinda thin. This is in part due to a lack of low end, which is mostly handled by Salow kicking the dookie out of his drums, because Antonsson’s bass basically stands in the back of the mix sipping a beer mead. Regardless, in tying Nifelheim’s anachronistic musical identity together into a cohesive package, it’s safe to say these Swedes left no “Ø” uncrossed or “Ä” undotted.

But with how spirited Fejd’s musical identity is and how rich Nifelheim’s compositions can be, it’s a bit surprising how much steam the record loses by the end. Nifelheim keeps to a mid-pace throughout its runtime, and though Fejd can play briskly—Salow really lets loose on the kit when he wants to (“Edsvuren”)—the music nonetheless feels stuck in one speed. Similarly, I’d describe Rimmerfors’ vocals as workmanlike on Nifelheim, serving the music well but being too constrained to stand out or elevate it. Factored together, these two problems conspire to give Nifelheim a feeling of déjà vu. When closer “Svarta Tjärn” rolls out its big conclusion in hopes of a true Viking funeral, a track worthy of one in a vacuum, over-familiarity dims its flame to a serviceable campfire instead. Nifelheim is smooth sailing, but perhaps the trip would’ve been more memorable had Fejd challenged some choppier waters.

Nifelheim is a fun and expertly crafted album the whole way through, but a lack of exciting highs keeps me from giving a full-chested recommendation of it. Fans of folk metal will likely enjoy what Fejd offer on it, and genre diehards are likely to rate it more highly than I. I hear all the essence of a great album in Nifelheim, from Fejd’s expert chemistry to the record’s effortless fluidity. But I also hear the potential for something to really blow the roof off with Nifelheim gone unrealized. A few stronger hooks or up-tempo moments would’ve really gone a long way. But regardless, Nifelheim is a sound warship for Fejd to get back on the warpath with, and more than worthy of your consideration for listening. Skol!

Rating: Good
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Black Lodge | Sound Pollution
Websites: fejd.se | facebook.com/Fejdofficial
Releases Worldwide: August 21st, 2026

There’s a big problem with today’s metal scene: There aren’t enough fukkin bands that sound like Nifelheim. Every time I listen to those crazy Swedes, I want MOAR of their scalding black-thrash riffs, MORE of their pummeling blast beats, more of the unhinged ferocity that feels sorely lacking in today’s scene, when it seems like every band needs to have clean vocals and mix at least three genres. While Nifelheim vocalist Hellbutcher did release a very good album in 2024 via his eponymous band, his main project’s frantic intensity has gone largely unreplicated. Fortunately, Nuctemeron are here to change that. Over the past decade, this German group has kept the black flame burning with a slew of splits and EPs that bear titles like Beastfuck and Rape from the Grave, all while clad in enough spikes and leather to make them the favorite customers of their local BDSM shop. With their debut album, Demonic Sceptre, the group has continued following Nifelheim’s burning warpath, unleashing a barrage of frenetic riffs, scathing vocals, and battering rhythms that would make those Swedes proud.

Yet at the same time, calling Nuctemeron mere Nifelheim clones is hardly accurate. Perhaps most notably, the band’s aptly-named vocalist, “Lunatic Aggressor,” avoids mimicking Hellbutcher’s manic rasp by instead delivering a larynx-shredding shriek that somehow turns songs like “Burn My Skin to Leather” into singalong anthems. And, as hinted at by the cover art’s apparent homage to Destruction’s Eternal Devastation, the music here shows that these Germans have heard plenty of thrashy bands besides Hellbutcher and Co. Take the instrumental opener, “Fresh Blood for the 13th Coffin,” which is an ambient synth piece with vaguely medieval vibes that recall Desaster. Said influence continues with the Hellfire‘s Dominion-style guitar melodies that open the first proper track, “The Bat,” before the slicing verses began slashing into your neck like a sharpened scythe. Likewise, “Under Devil’s Command” features a terrific, olde school main riff that evokes the glory days of 80s speed metal, while the harmonized guitars of that song’s bridge serve as a saccharine throwback to metal’s golden age.

Demonic Sceptre by Nuctemeron

That said, it’s clear that Nifelheim is a massive influence here. And fortunately, Nuctemeron absolutely nail that band’s sound with a slew of the wildest black-thrash cuts I’ve heard in a long time. Early highlight “After Violent Storm” basically functions as a complementary vasectomy, as the ricocheting guitar line in that song’s refrain is hot enough to turn whatever genitals you have into something that looks like a charred pork rind. “Fuck Off!!! (In the Name of Evil)” uses Nifelheim’s infamous two-word mantra as the basis to unleash a shitstorm of bouncy, frantic guitars that culminates with the sound of a skipping record repeating that titular proclamation over and over. Later, the aforementioned “Burn My Skin to Leather” sounds like a lost cut from Servants of Darkness with its squealing guitar lines, while “Metallic Thunder” uses a rapid, tapping guitar line to great effect.

My only real criticism here is that some of the songs repeat their main riffs a bit too much, but that feels like a minor quibble in light of the sheer inspiration on display. The aforementioned “Lunatic Aggressor” shrieks his head off like a banshee the whole time, and the way he pronounces his V’s as W’s is positively endearing. Guitarist “Exterminator” unleashes riff after riff of pure maniacal energy, and his searing, fast solos are a perfect complement to the band’s relentless nature. As shown on the closing track, “Brandish the Hammer of Hell,” the group also aren’t afraid to mix things up, as the song concludes with crooning clean vocals that mimic a melodic guitar line. The production is also great, sounding raw and powerful while remaining clear and retaining plenty of dynamic range.

Demonic Sceptre is exactly what your psychotic inner black-thrash fan has been craving. This is the first group I’ve heard that truly embodies Nifelheim’s unhinged, frantic style, and yet they mix things up just enough to avoid being a mere worship act. What’s more, the band constantly exude a sense of furious inspiration, yet for how extreme they are, their songs sure are fukkin catchy. For me and anyone else bold enough to brave the group’s scorching fury, Nuctemeron’s debut may just be the best black-thrash record we hear this year.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: I Hate Records
Websites: nuctemeron-blackspeedhell.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/blackspeedhell
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2026

Entrails – Grip of Ancient Evil Review

By Saunders

Rooted in the fertile graveyard turf of the Swedeath golden years, veterans Entrails occupy an interesting place in the revivalist old school Swedish death metal scene. Originally conceived in 1990 by sole original member Jimmy Lundqvist, the band lay dormant until Lundqvist resurrected the outfit with new bandmates in tow, unleashing a couple of long-gestating demos before eventually releasing their impressive debut Tales from the Morgue in 2010. Entrails started out strongly, backing up the debut with gnarled, grisly platters of throwback Swedeath goodness, courtesy of 2011’s The Tomb Awaits, and 2013’s Raging Death. A solid, if unremarkable holding pattern largely ensued during the intervening years, the band not dropping the ball, yet failing to rise to the loftier standards of their early work. Still, when done well, old school death of the Swedish variety is like metal comfort food, and these dudes are consistently reliable. Can eighth opus Grip of Ancient Evil shake off the rust and reinvigorate Entrails to their potent glory days?

Listeners should not expect any drastic reinvention or innovation from these meat & taters brawlers. Influences are tattered and worn, as Grip of Ancient Evil sets the buzzsawing tone early in the piece, essentially a modern continuation of the classic Swedeath sound inspired by scene legends, Grave, Dismember and Entombed. Entrails’ steadfast dedication to their old timey craft has served them well; however, the dreaded Law of Diminishing Returns threatens to derail their reliable track record deep into their career. After an unnecessary though obligatory scene-setting opener, “Untreatable Decay” kicks the album in proper. The song forms the blueprint of the Entrails sound, unleashing thunderous rhythms, tasty leads, and HM-2 armored riffage to bludgeoning effect.

Chunky tones are on point, riffs suitably beefy, while the mix of tempo shifts, thumping grooves, and requisite spooky, horror-themed atmospheres cast a familiar shadow across the album. New vocalist Julian Bellenox (Nazghor, Morphetik) fits the part, providing an authoritatively punchy rhythmic point of difference. His hoarse, throaty growls lend a brutal edge and thickness to the already meaty material. Otherwise, it is largely business as usual in the Entrails camp. The album’s darker, nastier vibes, infectious hooks, and more direct, punchy attack breathe welcome life into this long-standing, rotting entity. Grip of Ancient Evil features many of the expected traits of the classic Swedeath style; however, Entrails sound reinvigorated and urgent. Aptly titled “Skin ’em All” rips you a new one, relentlessly tearing through thrashy soundscapes, headbangable grooves, and gruesome, Bloodbath-esque terrain. Other noteworthy prime cuts include the doom-laden, dynamic shifts and anthemic hooks of “Hunt in the Shadows,” rugged, leaden riffage and punishing grooves on “Fed to the Dead,” and thrashing, urgent pummel of “Wings of Death.”

Not everything is safe and predictable. Barnstorming closer “Consumed by Insects” shifts surprisingly into a brief acoustic break, an odd though refreshing twist. Meanwhile, guest vocalist Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson (Friends of Hell, Nifelheim) lends a feral, blackened edge to the brooding “Inner Demon.” Performances are dependably solid from a line-up that remains fairly steady amongst the regular line-up upheavals plaguing the band. Bellenox is a refreshing addition, while band leader Lundqvist remains the pivotal focal point and songwriting chief, unleashing an extra beefy collection of buzzsaw riffs and some genuinely catchy death metal anthems. Packing a hefty wallop, the boisterous rhythms of Arvid Borg (drums) and Benjamin Andersson (bass) form a sturdy rhythmic backbone, coupled with a dynamic, crisp, though appropriately burly production, A solidly engaging listen, featuring a handful of cut above tunes, Grip of Ancient Evil remains a relatively safe listen, a step up from the previous album, but unable to match the band’s superior early work. Meanwhile, extra grime to dirty up their rather sanitary sound profile may have created a rustier edge and grittier sound.

Locking tightly into the confines of their established sound, Entrails refuse to budge from their old school ethos. While a predictability permeates each release, Grip of Ancient Evil features a little more pep and energy, ravenous hooks, and chunky, brutal edge to please longtime listeners and potentially reel in some new devotees. Nothing mind-blowing here, but Entrails reaffirm their status as an endearing, reliable force in the nostalgic old school Swedeath market, with an addictive, bone-crushing collection of grisly gems.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hammerheart Records
Websites: entrails666.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/entrails666
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

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Full album link on Bandcamp: https://hellbutcherband.bandcamp.com/album/hellbutcher

FFO #Nifelheim #Bathory #Hellripper and #AuraNoir

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HELLBUTCHER Premier "Inferno's Rage" Music Video
Hellbutcher is pleased to unleash their fiery new video for "Inferno's Rage". The track comes by way of the band's self-titled debut, released last Friday via Metal Blade Records. As the frontman of legendary Swedish maniacs Nifelheim, Hellbutcher stands among the most elite figures of the black metal underground...

https://bravewords.com/news/hellbutcher-premier-inferno-s-rage-music-video

#Hellbutcher #Nifelheim #BlackDeath #HeavyMetal