Nifelheim Devil’s Force is the second release from this underrated Swedish Death / Black metal cross over band from Sweden. Formed in 1990 this one didn’t come out until 1998 but it’s a cracker of an old school black death metal release in the vein of early Sepultura, Sarcofago and Sodom but with the benefit of time they’ve quite frankly done a much better job of it.
Whilst Sepultura and Sodom were basically teenagers at the time of releasing their early releases these guys have taken that sound and really pushed it with accomplished guitar playing and drumming that pushes old school black thrash to the point where its punching with the current death and black metal bands.
With song titles like “Deathstrike from Hell”, “Satanic Mass” and “Desecration of the Dead” you know where these guys stand lyrically. I haven’t listened to these guys for years now, and putting this one on again was just a pleasure. I’d treated myself to a vinyl re-issue of this record and couldn’t wait to get home get a sick pack of beer and sit down and listen to this one. This brought back a time when underground metal was uncompromising, raw and evil but they’ve injected some decent guitar chops and break neck riffage into the mix.
Production wise, its ugly evil and raw. But there’s enough budget and effort put into it for it not to be a chore to listen to. The production actually really brings out the best in this record and it sounds gnarly as hell! This is a damn near perfect record for old school blackened thrash fans!
This is definitely worth a listen for anyone who liked early Sepultura or Sodom or just wishes for the days of this stuff to come back or if you just want a dose of agression the likes of which you don’t see much anymore.
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