Ljå "Til avsky for livet" CD

Descripción Usually when a Black Metal band plays good music one can say that it plays music that is "way ahead of its time". However, regarding Norwegian Black Metal that pertains to the early-mid 1990's, when a current Norwegian band plays true Black Metal, one says that this band is "way reverted of its time". Indeed, with the current scene, one can hardly find a band that plays True Norwegian Black Metal (TNBM) that had acquired its roots from the icy heart of the northern wilderness, and many people have come to think that -as a genre- TNBM is finally dead. Yet, there are bands like Ljå which surface to refute this belief and restore the confidence that pure evil and grimness still can be found in the northern lands of Norway. Hailing from Stavanger, Ljå's music can only be described in a few word: grim, fierce, dark and melodic Black Metal. They do not rely on synthesizers to obtain their melody but on the tried-and-tested method of injecting multiple (guitar) melodic riffs in all their song, a method that is pioneered and reminiscent of early Darkthrone music.
“Til Avsky For Livet” is Ljå's debut album, although personally I percieve it as a second LP. Their first release was the 2002 demo "Vedderbaug", delivered 8 tracks and which with the exception of its poor production had all the elements and assets and potential for being a full-length album. And even though the production on their latest release isn't exactly top-notch either, only the unexperienced Black Metal listener will be hasty to dismiss this album as a poorly produced one. Rest assured, the production work on “Til Avsky For Livet” is exaclty how TNBM should sound like, and any enhancement to its current production will only rob the album of its grim and cold atmosphere. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the music on “Til Avsky For Livet” is so raw and epic, that had you come across it back in 1996 (that's right, exactly a decade ago!!) you would have surely accepted it as the TNBM norm of the time and would have cheerfully stacked the disc amongst your library of Darkthrone and Satyricon discs.
All ten tracks on this release are sung in Norwegian and attain Norwegian lyrics. And this again enforces the proud image that Ljå are opting for as they are clearly stating that TNBM should only be sung in the Norwegian tongue and not English (which is a language brought upon by the Christian folks who conquered the Viking lands with their religion and culture). The opening track “Til Satan” (also the longest on this release) will literally bring you to your knees with its high-pitched riffs, the raspy vocals of Neievrut, and the fast-paced drumming of Natael. And you can immediately tell that Ljå is one of those few talented bands that have the knack for writing lengthy songs that are filled with raw melodic riffs and varying tempos and drumming pace that never let go of its listeners, allowing them to sink into the pits of inevitable boredom. Once you are struck by the first track you are inflicted with their spell for the duration of the album and will only snap out of it once the album is finally closing. Indeed this talent (of writing long yet interesting songs) can also be experienced when listening to Taake, another Norwegian band that has adhered to the true sound of TNBM (and I wish to note that I find Ljå to be far more superior than Taake in this regard).
Other reviews have described Ljå's music to incorporate Gorgoroth-styled riffs, combined with old Ulver-like melodies, and all this sometimes played with the intensity of Marduk. Aside from agreeing with this former description, this does not mean in any way that Ljå are burrowing their material from these aforementioned bands. The music and the song-writing on “Til Avsky For Livet” (in addition to their first release "Vedderbaug") is absolutely original, and I have given them a full-mark for originality accordingly. In fact, the band also has the ability not to repeat their usage of riffs (which I must admit is a very hard temptation to resist when issuing a debut album), and you will not find any of the 10 tracks on "Til Avsky For Livet" sounding the same. And for this reason there are NO highlights on this album as ALL 10 tracks are unique and interesting in their own way.
The only disappointment I have about this album is that Ljå did not include their epic song "Skamslaadte Engler" which is the opener track on their 2002 demo in this release. It would be a shame not to re-record this song and re-release it on a more decently produced album. Perhaps they will decide to do so on a future release. This album is probably the best TNBM album released in 2006 that I've had the chance to listen to and I invite/encourage all the fans of True Norwegian Black Metal to buy this album and support this band.
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