Grógaldr "Grógaldr" CD

Tracks 2-4 from Demo I: Malignant Channelings (2019).
Track 1 and tracks 5-7 from Demo II: Deviant Masque of the Wraith (2019).
Tracks 8-10 from Disinterred Graves of Saints (2020).

Jewelcase CD, with 4 panel booklet.
Compilation of Demos I and II, with the "Disinterred Graves of Saints" EP as bonus tracks.
Released by Humanity's Plague Productions.

As re-releases of old material go, I'm actually rather fond of demo compilations. For one thing, it's a great way to hear out-of-print material on physical media without supporting the leeching Discogs flippers; for another, it's a convenient way to hear a good deal of a band's early work without getting up to switch cassettes every ten minutes. But occasionally, it's also a successful demonstration of a band's clarity of purpose.
Grógaldr's eponymous collection succeeds on all three fronts. Sure, it's a solid compilation of old material and sure, it's a handy means of acquiring two tapes for the price of one, but it also flows well enough from track to track that it feels like listening to an album. This is due in part to the production, raw enough to almost sound like a harsh noise tape at times (really, only the always-audible kick and snare keep us in metal territory when the guitars are at their chainsaw-iest), but the sequencing is great too. The tape follows a natural arc from start to finish, and leaves no doubt that this comp was thought-out and not just thrown together.
Of course, all this only works because the songs themselves are strong. The riffs, when discernible, are memorable - they capture that authentically evil sound that seems to have largely fallen out of favor in USBM as more melodious atmospheric sounds pervade the scene. There isn't a ton of particularly slow material here, and while the lack of variety may be a downside the focused and unrelenting fury certainly isn't. And matching that evilness and intensity, we hear cruelly snarling vocals that work well with the material on offer.
My one major gripe is that the songs themselves can overstay their welcome a bit. With an average track length around 7 minutes, I would hope to hear slightly more diversity in style (there's that aforementioned downside rearing its head) or at very least a few more riffs per song. Nevertheless, Grógaldr is a solid tape and makes a welcome addition to the USBM hordes' canon - at very least, it's well worth the price of admission.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...