Since I recently reviewed the latest Ondskapt album, it only felt natural to go back and check their debut EP, "Slave Under His Immortal Will". This band's trajectory has been interesting to see, and with this EP, it’s surprising how, from the get-go, Ondskapt knew exactly what their vision was going to be.
Ondskapt became known in later years for their atmospheric and evil sounding style of black metal that focused more on creating a sinister mood over speed or aggression, and in this two track EP that’s still very much the case, albeit with less finesse as their subsequent full-length records. For starters, the production is very rough, which is only really a problem if you aren’t into black metal, but to the band’s credit, which at this point it was just the duo of founders Acerbus and Nabemih, they make a good use of the harsher sound. The opening title track sets the mood from the beginning, the cold and evil guitar riff which precedes the pulsating bass, pounding drums and Acerbus’ howling shrieks, wastes no time to just get into the funeral-like atmosphere, and what’s surprising about that track is how it manages to be so relentless by being a mid-paced track, and its consistent until ending with a slow and fading dirge where only the guitar and echoing vocals remain, the second track on the other hand is the complete opposite as it starts slow with a macabre guitar melody which builds momentum by adding the rest of the instruments and the vocals before going into short bursts of blast beats and tremolo picking which are then followed by atmospherically sinister sections. This rising and falling flow and pace is what made Ondskapt stand out, and highlighted their unique ability to truly realize black metal’s potential beyond the speed and aggression of metal music in order to create, for lack of a better word, an experience that evokes the feeling of death and darkness.
Though indeed Ondskapt from the beginning had their own sense of identity, their EP is still the work of a new band that’s finding their footing, as they truly blossomed into the orthodox black metal force they are today with their sophomore record “Dödens Evangelium”, the reason for this criticism is to point out that the overall sound and vibe are still very much indicative of black metal at the time, the influence of early Ofermod is in full display and even the guitar sound and playing is reminiscent of the first Gorgoroth record. These issues aren’t really to disparage the band at that time since it was their first release and they were novices, but it is still worth noting, especially if your first exposure to this band is their later more refined work, as it is, “Slave Under His Immortal Will” is a neat little curio and a instrumental building block of Ondskapt’s development, a must hear for fans of the band, and pure black metal, but as a disclaimer, newcomers should go into this EP knowing that it was the first EP and as such, doesn’t feature the development and maturity the band would display later into their career.
Sample:
ONDSKAPT Slave Under His Immortal Will (Full EP)
