Kaevum – Natur

Kaevum’s Natur is the first release of the year to floor me completely on first listen. This is raw Norwegian Black Metal played with the utmost conviction and craft. If comparison has any value at all, fans of Pagan Hellfire, Mgła and Primigenium should flock to hear Kaevum. This half-hour torrent of cold, heart-stopping riffwork is fuelled by the same driving rhythms that make those bands what they are. Guitars may storm on inexorably, but the drums rarely stay settled for long, firing more and more barrages of charging patterns. The riffs are quintessentially Norwegian, striking that perfect balance between cold melody and hellish dissonance that the genre’s progenitors made their trademark. But Natur brings some surprises too: at points the piercing demoniac shrieks give way to Bergtatt-like chanting, a stirring contrast to the overall rawness of the music.

Though an official statement is lacking, the general consensus is that Kaevum is an NS band – a claim strongly supported by the cover art. Thankfully, Kaevum’s music is worlds apart from the typical bore-fest and propagandism of most NSBM, swearing a more overt allegiance to the twin gods of true Norwegian Black Metal: nature and darkness.

With six songs lasting half an hour in all, you can decide for yourselves if Natur is an album or an EP. Either way, in my eyes it stands just as good a chance as the last Aura Noir of being the best Norwegian release this year.

Buy Natur from Sabbath’s Fire Records

25 Comments

  • Reply June 1, 2012

    Swedish Potato

    This is some good raw black metal indeed, although it’s a damn shame they have to align themselves with such pseudoscientific, racist nonsense as Aryanism

    • Reply June 1, 2012

      Willer

      The band has actually stated more than once that their concept is about blasphemy and cultural strength only, their lyrics are not available either so if someone says racism/NS its by mere speculation.

      • Reply June 2, 2012

        Swedish Potato

        “Cultural strength”

        I understand I am making a speculative claim here, but when placed within the context of a band that clearly glorifies the Nazi idea of the blond-haired, blue-eyed Aryan through their album art (as well as naming one of their demos “Northern Norwegian Hate Music” or something along those lines), as well as utilizing symbols made infamous by the Nazis seems telling enough. I don’t think they need to dangle it in front your head for me to make the fairly rational assumption that they are indeed aligning themselves with Aryanism in one way or another.

        • Reply June 2, 2012

          Willer

          I see your point and I agree, though I do remember an interview with them long ago where they clearly stated that their concept has little to do with “National Socialism” and would not be tolerated by true Nazis.

          So I guess they are not NSBM then, even with the obvious similarities.

      • Reply January 20, 2013

        Paul

        is a gigantic white celtic cross placed on a pitch black wallpaper,among words written in gothic font to file anywhere but under NATIONAL SOCIALISM? c’mon now

  • Reply June 1, 2012

    Alex

    Black metal of this calibre is impossible to find in 2012. Thanks Rob.

  • Reply June 1, 2012

    Jeff

    this is great…too bad its on LP would love to get it if it was on CD

    • Reply June 14, 2012

      FLAK88

      I think it will be re-pressed in CD-format later on. Check with Darker Than Black.

      • Reply June 20, 2012

        Jeff

        scratch that last comment – a couple of listens to this album pushed me to finally order the vinyl!

  • Reply June 1, 2012

    Artvr

    I was a little reluctant when i saw this on a blog classified as “NSBM” but eventually ended up by downloading it anyway and it glad i did it. Never judge a book by it’s cover or from what other people might say about it, until you eventually hear it and then take your own conclusions. Like Alex said, black metal like this nowadays are truly a needle in a haystack.

  • Reply June 2, 2012

    Jolocho

    By far this is the best band ever posted here. Mark my words.

  • Reply June 3, 2012

    Pavel

    rob, shoulda said earlier but this band absolutely slays. of course, it’s right up my alley. thanks for unearthing this!

  • Reply June 3, 2012

    Andrea

    Sometimes “looking-like” a NSBM it may concern just with an aestethic feature. A lot of bands use an Nazi-aestethic just to make their music more extreme from the psycological side of it. It may not always concern with politic.

  • Reply June 5, 2012

    UA

    Very cool music…really surprised me.

  • Reply September 6, 2012

    Tom

    Finally got round to listening to this after putting it off just because it was NSBM. This is really fucking good though. Can anyone recommend me recent black metal, preferably not NS (or not “very much looks like NS) that sounds like this? Most BM seems to lack the authentic atmosphere that this one conjures, even Mgła’s excellent With Hearts Towards None is lacking it.

    • Reply September 7, 2012

      Rob

      Others may disagree, but I feel that Kaevum has a lot in common with Pagan Hellfire and Mgla. As for the more melodic, clean-vocal bits, Kaevum often comes eerily close to the sound and style of earlier Belenos. Just thinking out loud here, but will give it some further thought.

      • Reply September 8, 2012

        Tom

        Just checking out Pagan Hellfire now and this is excellent. It has the real rawness I was looking for. Thanks.

  • Reply September 7, 2012

    nichtig

    high five to all those proud intellectualists whining all around teh internets about how lame it is to tie hateful music with such nonsense as supremacist ideology (or merely it’s aesthetics) designed to make the world burn ^_^

  • Reply September 25, 2012

    scott

    only nsbm is real. the rest is shit.

  • Reply September 27, 2012

    Einsiedler

    There is the saying that only with incorporating NS-related symbols / topics into Black Metal, this music could be effectively immunized against the mainstream and thus be preserved as a genuine counterculture.

  • Reply February 12, 2013

    Alchemist

    Racism is not a bad thing you fucking sensitive whimps, as soon as there are races it is the golden rule we all have our differences, racism and fascism comes from polluted bipeds that want you to feel shame for loving your race and your culture. FUCK YOU

  • Reply February 13, 2013

    justus

    “Oh, you should take care of the purity of your race, you should protect your culture”… this seems to be a very moralist point of view. Why should I care about my so-called race? Or the other way around, why should I feel shame for something that just doesn´t matter? Because it´s sooo fucking natural to be a racist? To love the colour of my skin sounds stupid somehow, like “I´m so proud I have five fingers on both of my hands!”

    FUCK YOU TOO and have a nice day 😉

    • Reply November 24, 2013

      I raped your daughter

      Fuck you… Just go to hell you jew. The purity in the aryan race must be kept alive. And anyone who disagrees will get bombed.

      • Reply July 4, 2014

        samuel horovitz

        so you`re what, 12 years old?

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