Tsjuder
Demonic Possession

Almost everything has been said about the infamous "True Norwegian Black Metal," but among so many useless releases that vainly attempt to relive the ancient glories of this genre, I find "Demonic Possession" by the Norwegians Tsjuder from 2002 in my hands. Formed in the distant 1995, the band has always lived its existence in complete anonymity, and it's unfortunately a shame because it deserves a lot. In fact, if this album had come out about ten years ago, today their name wouldn't be missing alongside names like Darkthrone, Immortal, Mayhem, and the black company. But let's cut to the chase and get straight to the facts.

At first listen, this record seems hostile, black, and raw, but only after a few listens do you start to sense the true essence of Our band. Riffs as sharp as cold gusts of wind, drums at times on the verge of grind, but never trite and predictable with the usual blast beat abuses, in fact, I must admit it's very varied and powerful. The vocals, on the other hand, are a mighty scream with a very airy and deep tone, almost giving the impression that it was recorded outdoors, perhaps on the epic, dark, and cold mountains of Norway, somewhat as illustrated on the cover where you can see guitarist Draugluin screaming in the dark amidst glaciers brandishing a menacing double-headed axe. The lyrics obviously respect the true Norwegian black tradition, totally inspired by the malign and desolate places where only ice and darkness reign uncontested. Now I'll make a comparison that I'm sure many of you won't like, namely comparing this album to "Pure Holocaust" by Immortal. In fact, the atmospheres, riffs, and rhythmic section strongly remind us of Abbath's band, but that's not all; I would even dare to say that this album surpasses it. The guitars, in this case, are heavier, freezing, and scratching, and the wicked, dissonant, and chromatic riffs follow one another with such fury that they catapult the listener into a genuine snowstorm where winds literally cut your face. The tracks follow one more brutal than the other with extremely violent attacks, transitioning thus with the opener "Eriphion Epistates" with gloomy and swirling riffs, as well as "Demoner av Satan Rike" with a blazing start. "Ancient Hate," my favorite with a nice Celtic Frost-style riff in the middle, moves through "Bloodshering Horror," the devastating "Deathwish," "A Twisted Mind," the album closes with "Primeval Fear," a piece lasting almost 10 minutes, very complex with sinister arpeggios but still with adverse and rapid riffs aimed to provoke furious headbanging and cause serious damage to the "unfortunate" listener's auditory system. The booklet is also very well-packaged with photos of the members, namely "Nag" on bass and vocals, "Draugluin" on guitar, and "Jontho" (formerly of Ragnarok) behind the drums in a snow-covered forest armed to the teeth. Behind the booklet, the nostalgic writing that is also a bit endearing: "True Norwegian Black Metal."

After listening to "Demonic Possession" (with my ears still ringing), I felt satisfied, fulfilled, and above all happy to find that there still exists a band like Tsjuder capable of composing black metal so sincere, primitive, and devoid of frills. I recommend listening to this album to all the avid supporters of this genre, especially to fans of Immortal because they will have plenty to savor. Try it to believe…