Maxwell Heilman

Udåd comes from a well-documented urge within black metal, to retain a respect for the genre's essential components. As the new project from one Thomas Eriksen, the mastermind behind Norwegian trve kvlters Mork, this project seeks to reverse whatever progression Mork has experienced. Udåd leaves all pleasantry at the door. This is black metal at its most unfiltered, theatrical, and, most importantly, emotional.

Not that being one of the only bands making waves in Long Beach playing sludge metal isn’t enough, but O Zorn! also has the benefit of balancing the genre’s melodicism and dissonance. Where a band like Baroness might lean toward the former and Thou toward the latter, O Zorn! has found a way to let the riffs guide them beyond such limitations.

To avoid harping on the "remember when music sounded like it did before now?" mantra, suffice it to say that it stands out when a band like Isenordal conjures the primordial power of a genre while keeping things fresh. In an age where making a clean, faux-dramatic atmosphere is easier than ever, this Seattle band's approach to folk-ish doom is akin to that of Ulver's debut Bergtatt in that its lack of finesse actively serves its beauty.