Martyrdod are crusty Swedish noisemakers, with a flair for noisy entropy that leads them through various extreme reference points. This has a strong flavour of a punkier Nasum, with its rabid, mechanized onslaught and ranted leftist lyrics (probably- I can’t understand a word of it). The twist here is the metallic injections, with curious outside influences sneaking in to give this a distinctive sound. There’s a surprising amount of lead guitar activity, expanding its scope and which at times even gives tracks like Livets Strängar Dödsackord the sense of a Tolkien-loving black metal band in places, with its uncharacteristic embrace of epic tunage.

Odd diversions aside, this is ferocious. It is an angry, crusty rush with gasping, rasping vocals and cunningly placed riff-hooks that claw at your ears. Gloria Runt Iris, for example, has meaty lead flourishes running effortlessly parallel to its insistent banging. Vanmakt’s squeaky tremolo approach, underpinned by a primitive rhythm section thud, is given misanthropic prestige by its ominous, quasi-Dimmu Borgir opening. Best is Kärleksmässan, with its haywire soloing, that gives this a furious metallic energy that prevents this from becoming a rush of grinding violence.

The obvious comparison- in fact, I mentioned these guys in my review of Bureval the other week- is of course Iskra. This record is probably a little bit deeper. Even if it cannot match the Canadians in their grasp of black metal’s techniques, its bleak rage and capacity to surprise give it another level of emotional depth. Despite the various points of interest here, I don’t find that much in here that makes me want to return to it repeatedly. However, for those looking for a blackened spin on a familiar crust/grind sound, this is well worth a try.