This legendary horde is finally back with a new opus, a must-listen for admirers of old school Norwegian extreme music and a serious contender for Black Metal album of the year.

The path to the underworld is open once again as Oslo, Norway’s own Black Metal legends Tsjuder are back in action with a sulfurous new opus, titled Helvegr, which by the way means “Path to the Underworld” or “Road To Hel”, their sixth studio album and the perfect follow-up to their 2015 effort Antiliv. Known best for their relentless, aggressive approach to Black Metal, Tsjuder have been responsible for some of the most hate-filled ferocity perpetrated under the banner of True Norwegian Black Metal since their inception in 1993, with the iconic Nag on vocals and bass, and Draugluin on the guitars, supported by drummer Jon “The Charn” Rice, taking their darkness to a whole new level in Helvegr. Not only that, the mixing and mastering by Pål Emanuelsen at North Waves Studios, plus the wicked artwork by Jonas Svensson and Laura Nardelli, turn it into a must-listen for admirers of old school Norwegian extreme music, and into a serious contender for Black Metal album of the year.

The opener Iron Beast brings forward absolute madness and hatred from the very first second, while Nag screams the song’s infernal lyrics manically (“Black metal razor blades / Fifty cal hellraiser / Barbed wire wrapped / Diesel monster unleashed / Aw, come on! Raise Hell!”) in a lecture in Norwegian Black Metal; whereas the caustic riffage by Draugluin and the brutal drums by Jon will crush your damned body to pieces in Prestehammeren (or “the priest’s hammer” from Norwegian), a fast and demented display of Black Metal by Tsjuder that will please all fans of the genre. Then a melodic, sinister start evolves into another sonic beast entitled Surtr, with the blast beats by Jon bringing sheer aggressiveness to their sound while Nag continues to vociferate like a demonic entity. There isn’t a single second of peace in Gamle-Erik (or “Old Erik”), featuring a guest guitar solo by Pål Emanuelsen, with Nag once again sounding inhumane on vocals as well as armed with his thunderous bass lines while Draugluin slashes his guitar in the name of Black Metal; and Chaos Fiend is as chaotic as its name states, with Jon hammering your skull with his vile drumming, offering Nag everything he needs to darkly growl and snarl in another fantastic depiction of first-class Norwegian Black Metal.

Tsjuder Tribute to Bathory Scandinavian Black Metal Attack

Featuring guest vocals by Seidemann (of 1349 and Mortem), Gods of Black Blood offers another round of Tsjuder’s hellish words (“We stride triumphant, Hellspawned Demon Lords / Trampling the fallen, Violated agonized wailing / Worldgrinders, necrotic sovereigns”) while the music once again exhales Black Metal; and after such intense, darkened feast, it’s time for the grim and phantasmagorical title-track Helvegr, leaning towards Doom Metal and even Blackened Doom, sounding, sluggish, evil and melodic from start to finish. Then back to their more ferocious and satanic mode we have Faenskap og Død (“hell and death”), a hurricane of Black Metal masterfully crafted by Tsjuder where the razor-edged riffs by Draugluin will pierce your mind and soul mercilessly. Lastly, the doomed Hvit Død (“white death”) is not a bad outro, but it takes away some of the fire and electricity from the album. In other words, it could have been placed before the previous song as an intro to give it a stronger meaning. Furthermore, if you go for one of the special or deluxe editions of the album you’ll be treated to the bonus disc Tsjuder Tribute to Bathory Scandinavian Black Metal Attack, a killer EP that is definitely worth the extra money, beautifully representing Tsjuder’s respect and admiration for one of the pillars of Norwegian Black Metal, with their cover version for Satan my Master being absurdly awesome.

In case you want to give Helvegr a try before purchasing it, you can stream the album in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but I bet you’ll get addicted to their music and grab your favorite version of the album from the band’s own BandCamp page, from Season of Mist in Europe or in the US (and if I were you I would go for the LP box + digital or for the digibox + digital as both come with some fantastic items including the aforementioned EP), or by clicking HERE or HERE. Don’t forget to also follow such imposing Norwegian horde on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, and to stream their entire catalogue on Spotify. We’ll undoubtedly see Helvegr as part of most “top metal albums of the year” lists this year, and of course in almost all “top Black Metal albums of the year” lists, reinforcing the power, impact and importance of Tsjuder to the entire metal scene, and leaving us all eager for their next blast of Black Metal magic in a not-so-distant future.

Best moments of the album: Iron Beast, Prestehammeren, Chaos Fiend and Gods of Black Blood.

Worst moments of the album: Hvit Død.

Released in 2023 Season of Mist

Track listing
1. Iron Beast 3:37
2. Prestehammeren 4:01
3. Surtr 6:59
4. Gamle-Erik 3:46
5. Chaos Fiend 4:02
6. Gods of Black Blood 5:19
7. Helvegr 7:36
8. Faenskap og Død 3:08
9. Hvit Død 2:52

Tsjuder Tribute to Bathory Scandinavian Black Metal Attack bonus disc
1. The Return of Darkness and Evil 4:53
2. Satan my Master 2:02
3. Born for Burning 5:11
4. Reaper 2:33
5. Raise the Dead 3:53

Band members
Nag – vocals, bass
Draugluin – guitars, backing vocals
Jon “The Charn” Rice – drums

Guest musicians
Pål Emanuelsen – guitars solo on “Gamle-Erik”
Seidemann – additional vocals on “Gods of Black Blood”