57. Helheim - "HrabnaR / Ad Vesa"

There hasn’t been much Black Metal this year so let’s have a slice of the classic Nordic stuff from the heartland of Bergan. Helheim have been around since the nineties but haven’t pricked the public perception like other outfits such as Mayhem, Emperor and Enslaved. Which is a real shame as they are a highly proficient unit who brilliantly marry the atmospheric with jagged coarseness. They also exercise an intriguing and rather unique approach to songwriting. Core members V'gandr and H'grimnir each write their own tracks, respectively performing vocals on the ones they have written. Essentially, the album is split into V'gandr and H'grimnir halves. What could up an incoherent mess actually turns out to be a genius collusion, meaning the album is a fantastic melting pot of progression and aggression. It is full of dramatic stirring passages that then descend into a spiralling chasm of darkness. Stirringly evocative and brilliantly executed.