Posh Isolation co-released Ildsvanger with Final Agony Records, bridging an unnecessary gap that has kept indie-rock and metal at arm’s length for as long as I can remember. Perhaps this cooperation will result in similar collaborations in the future? What I CAN express to you in no uncertain terms is Slægt put old-school black-metal at the forefront of their sound and, over 10 tracks, show no signs of relenting. Denmark’s Oskar J. Frederiksen, who handles everything save the drums, has located a sacred spot with his angry, yet somehow soothing scream. While his mystical compositions don’t exactly stand out like a beacon from the rest of the black-metal material bombarding the faithful, Ildsvanger is a rock-solid debut. It adheres to a strict code of sound that doesn’t become tiresome no matter how many times you crank it, and hits as hard as anything you’ll hear from genre darlings like Ash Borer and WITTR. Maybe next go-round we’ll hear Slægt enter more experimental territory circa Servile Sect; until then, Ildsvanger will keep your ears filled with flames.
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