Night Crowned

Hädanfärd

---

Genre: Blackened Death Metal.
Released: 09/07/2021
Via Noble Demon

Album Review: Night Crowned – Hädanfärd

Night Crowed is back with their hellish release titled ‘Hädanfärd’. The Blackened Death Metal outfit has made quite a name for themselves since releasing their debut album ‘Impius Viam’ back in 2020 and the hype around the new album is at an all-time high for the band. If this release is anything like their last album then it’s sure to be one hell of a ride. Here is my review of Night Crowned’s ‘Hädanfärd’.

Opening track ‘Nattkrönt’ leans more towards the blackened side of things. Ear piercing levels of distortion ring out in the form of rapid riffs while bullet-like blast beats dominate the tracks percussive section. Becoming more methodical in nature, ‘Rex Tenebrae’ features some smooth melodic phrases sewn into the seams of mayhem. The track is heavy as hell at parts yet it manages to become quite atmospheric when it needs to. ‘Fjättrad’ follows in a more polarising way. Despite still boasting hellish growls and screams, the song sounds tamer in nature. Higher melodies ring throughout the instrumental and the scene of pure evil is lost within this track. 

Approaching the halfway point of the album now and ‘Ett Gravfäst Öde’ comes across as a little generic. When I heard this track for the first time, I couldn’t help but think I’d heard it before. That’s due to the song using a lot of quite mundane riff progressions that have been recycled time and time again in black metal releases. The title track ‘Hädanfärd’ is a nice acoustic instrumental track that does a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the record. These atmospheric tracks always work so well on these releases. 

‘Gudars Skymning’ Turns up the back metal vibe 10 fold. Disgustingly distorted tremolos opens the song only to be matched with an intense vocal delivery. Tracks like this are what makes the blackened death metal scene so impressive and I cannot recommend this track enough! It is by far my favourite track on the album. Continuing the momentum of the previous track, ‘Människans Förfall’ is a great addition to the band’s discography. Standing out from the pack, this song feels fresh which is quite hard to do in such a saturated genre. 

‘Grått & Ödelagt’ is the penultimate track and, despite not being as great as the previous two tracks, the song is a blast to listen to. I fell in love with the contrasting guitar tones as they somehow harmonised in a way that shouldn’t even be possible. Finishing off the album is ‘Enslingen’. Opening with a harrowing scream before unleashing an all-out assault of noise and distortion, the track is perfect for capping off such a chaotic release.

Night Crowned is something quite special. They have a great blend of styles in their music which, for the most part, allows them to release music that feels fresh and unique. I highly recommend checking out this album especially if you are a fan of bands like Behemoth or Emperor.