Jordfäst – Blodsdåd och hor
Release Date: 25th July 2025
Label: Black Lion Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Thrash, Heavy Metal.
FFO: Darkthrone, Skogen, Primordial, Taake, Wolves in the Throne Room, Kvelertak, Bathory.
Review By: Rick Farley
Swedish black metal riff slingers Jordfäst return for full length album number three, Blodsdåd och hor, set for release via Black Lion Records on July 25th, 2025.
“The origins of Jordfäst trace back to the sombre forest and murky lakes of Småland Sweden, where founding members Olof and Elis first met in the early 2000s. While their shared youthful passion for the darker strains of music formed the embryo of what would later become Jordfäst, it was among the vast fields of Skåne in 2017 that the band finally emerged in a tangible form”.
Blodsdåd och hor (Bloodshed and Whoredom) is a well-blended mix of riff oriented black metal and Scandinavian melancholy. The additional use of classic folk music elements and traditional heavy metal within the dark, swaggering soundscape elevates this into far more than just another repeat of the black metal we’ve heard over and over again. This has a sneering, snarling merriment about it using Scandinavian melodies over thrashy, crusty black n roll and clean, rhythmic backing vocals, as well as a healthy dose of snake tongued harsh raspiness to steer all the nastiness. To put it in simpler terms, mix traditional second wave black metal with the melodic quirkiness of Kvelertak, a little dash of old school Viking metal and some folky vocal elements and that at least gives you a decent starting point. From the first notes to the last you can truly feel the bands culture intertwined in every aspect of this record.
Opening track Ett altare av skärvor, Pt. 1 (An Alter of Shards) starts with an infectious Viking black n roll vibe that instantly makes you want to abandon your longship, grab your axe, and get into the epic battle. Once you do however it quickly, turns into bloody, frenzied taste of brutality. The pace quickens abruptly to a hellfire of nasty tremolo picked guitars, shouted growls, and intense blast beats. A mid-tempo outro, started by slow moving bassline and a guitar phrase (which is musically integrated in each of the first four tracks) unites the two parts with a feeling of finality, only to drift seamlessly into Ett altare av skärvor, Pt. 2. A more aggressive, traditional black metal forward counterpart than the triumphant qualities of the first track. There are four parts to the first half of the record which combines fragments of Völuspá (Old Norse poem from the Poetic Edda) with imagery of violent manipulation and mental torture to explore the everlasting desire in humans to make sense of their existence. The second half Dit gudarna trälar är (Where the Gods are Thralls) journeys through centuries of Swedish history, shaped by iron and steel and defined by relentless warfare. Also entitled Pt. 1–4.
Dit gudarna trälar är Pt. 1, is a raw, straightforward, less melodic, less atmospheric shot of icy cold guitar melodies over blazing speed, pounding drums and wickedly screechy growling. Much like the first half, these four tracks share attributes than run through each one. All the while being cohesive, yet musically intriguing.
Forged from hammer strikes upon the hardened metal, Jordfäst’s music transcends boundaries, which creates an inviting soundscape, it feels like anyone can partake in this Scandinavian black metal celebration. Well crafted songwriting, and thematically interesting, this is a record that I can easily recommend to just about any type of black metal fan and honestly could ease some fans into this genre if they’re not overly familiar or feel unwelcomed by it normally. Blodsdåd och hor is a captivating, seizing melting pot of black metal goodness.
(4 / 5)
