Peaceville’s latest well-chosen reissue comes in the form of Norwegian Black Metallers Gehenna’s 2005 album ‘WW’. Coming from a time when their fan base had predominately deserted them on the basis that they had abandoned their trve black metal roots and had adopted a more death metal approach to proceedings on their previous album ‘Murder’. Well in the five year gap between ‘Murder’ and ‘WW’ there was a definite change in the air, and following a convoluted recording process, which included the drafting in of Satyricon’s Frost as session drummer, the resulting album was a return to startlingly bleak black metal form.
As you would imagine, ‘WW’ is very much a war themed album, a fact first made apparent from the excellent artwork depicting a Nazi V1 bomb. Opening track ‘Grenade Prayer’ is a relentless low fi attack in which Frost’s metronomic drums frame a straight ahead chanting rasped lyric from Dolgar. Sanrabb provides an imposing guitar sound with simplistic but assured riffing and the overall sound puts one in mind of Mayhem and Gorgoroth. Through the filthy riffing of ‘Death to Them All’ to the more considered and technical approach of ‘New Blood’, the quality is high, although as you would expect many of the intricacies are masked by the low-fi production, which in this case is a perfect balance for the music. The pace slows immensely on ‘Flames of the Pit’, all except the drums naturally which are, as ever, masterfully handled by Frost. Dolgar’s voice is just outstanding on this track, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
Things take a trip down the ‘Black and Roll’ road on Werewolf, a track which positively reeks of Darkthrone. Over its 6 minute length, the track seems to stalk you, the riff and vocals meandering in and out of styles as the drums retain that constant presence, as you await the seemingly inevitable attack, which then fails to materialise. The full on assault reignites with ‘Abattoir’ before things slow down for the piece de resistance of the album, ‘Pallbearer’. It’s brooding piece with an incredibly intense atmosphere, supremely delivered. There are three bonus tracks on this re-release, being alternative versions of both ‘Grenade Prayer’ and ‘Werewolf’ and a startlingly average live version of ‘Flames Of The Pit’, none of which could be considered essential, but will of no doubt be important to the collectors.
Whilst they may have moved on from their more symphonic black metal roots, Gehenna managed to produce a fine album. Call it what you will, second wave black metal or Norwegian blackened death, whatever. It’s inconsequential. The fact is that those that missed this album the first time around that stayed away through bloody mindedness that they ‘sold out’, or through sheer ignorance, now have the chance to redeem themselves with this fine reissue. Dripping with grim menace and outstanding quality, ‘WW’ is an album that should be in your collection.
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