Even though the band has existed since 1993, right at the peak years of the second wave of Black Metal, Tsjuder’s sound came to fruition a little bit later, towards the early 2000’s. At that time, they were amongst the few newer bands to arise from Norway after the stream of bands and popularity of the second wave had subsided, providing a fresh impulse along with most notably Taake. But while Taake landed on the scene with a proverbial third wave classic in ‘Nattestid Ser Porten Vid’, Tsjuder instead built a career that peaked a little bit later with ‘Demonic Possession’ and in particular 2004’s ‘Desert Northern Hell’ as highlights. Blending influences from the likes of Bathory, Mayhem, Gorgoroth and Immortal, their material mostly struck me as not the most innovative but relentless, straightforward and thoroughly enjoyable. In the years that followed the release pace dropped, and consequently their later albums ‘Legion Helvete’ and ‘Antiliv’ were released at a time where the Norwegian Black Metal scene was rediscovering itself. While certainly ‘Legion Helvete’ was a strong record, the band did perhaps lose a little bit of its glory that it gained in the 00’s. Another period of inactivity coinciding with a resurgence in popularity of Black Metal perhaps certainly didn’t help there either, as in today’s musical climate bands that aren’t as active seem more easily forgotten than was the case in the past.
The band wasn’t completely gone in the last few years though, and especially focused on live shows. The times I saw them perform they seemed brimming with enthusiasm and intensity. Still, their last album ‘Antiliv’ already dated back from 2015. This no doubt had to do with the search for a new drummer, as long-time drummer AntiChristian left in 2020. But as they have pretty much always done, founding member Nag and guitar player Draugluin continued their stoic path with the band, and in 2023 the band’s sixth full-length album was ready to be unleashed. And on ‘Helvegr’, which translates to something like road to the underworld, the band sounds reinvigorated. As is usual for the band, they spend little time on subtleties and prefer their Black Metal with pace and power. The drums have been recorded by American drummer Jon Rice, who also plays their live shows. And while AntiChristian usually had quite a present sound on the albums, the performance certainly isn’t a step back on the latest album.
Tsjuder’s influences have always been varied, and on ‘Helvegr’ they manifest in many different shapes. ‘Iron Beast’ comes out bursting, bearing strong similarties with in particular ‘Battles in the North’ and ‘Blizzard Beasts’ by Immortal, especially when you consider the song contains a clean strumming passage reminiscent of the Bergen legends. The second song ‘Prestehammeren’ has a bit more of a Gorgoroth and Dødheimsgard flair and an altogether more Thrashy vibe to the riffs, and what even sounds like a hint of Black Sabbath riffage. Morphing into ‘Surtr’, we even get an infusion of Dissection accompanied with the Scandinavian Black Metal sound of for instance Marduk. A mix of all these different elements comes back in one way or the other throughout the album, and the way they melt into one coherent formula is one of the admirable qualities of Tsjuder. While the band mostly operates at a higher tempo, the end of ‘Gods of Black Blood’ is more midpaced and brooding, while the title track is an entirely more medium tempo groove driven track. Perhaps a bit odd spacing to put the more midtempo tracks at the end of the album, but it certainly doesn’t disrupt the flow.
During a period where Black Metal activity was low, Tsjuder kept the flame burning, and they haven’t stopped doing that since. ‘Helvegr’ is another example of that, filled with catchy raging Black Metal. It might not be as good as ‘Desert Northern Hell’, but it’s certainly better than ‘Antiliv’ and an overall very enjoyable album.
Season of Mist
- Country: France
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube
