Boarhammer is a two-piece outfit out of Germany, consisting of Wodwoz on guitar and vocals, and The Vessel on bass, drums and vocals. They brought out an EP ‘I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes’ back in 2021 and with this release their first full length. They bring their take on first wave black metal. Think of it as a combination of Venom, Mötorhead and Bathory. There were parts on the album that also reminded me of Darkthrone’s ‘The Underground Resistance’.
With the first song ‘Entering Forest Twylite’, Boarhammer takes us on a dark ritual in the middle of the forrest. A ritual that spans across the album and which forms a red line, making the album instantaneously more cohesive. The guitars sound crunchy, and the bass sounds like the speaker is about to pop, as if the album was recorded in the early eighties, but recently remastered. The songstructure doesn’t follow the usual conventions, but this doesn’t deter the very catchy moments they create.
The vocals are very frequently doubled, with one side being clean and almost spoken word, and the other more growly, crunchy. It’s like Radagast The Brown poured his mind into a metal album.
‘Chemognosis’ sounds more focused than their EP. They blend different elements from heavy, black and thrash metal and manage to add a very thick, gloomy atmosphere. It’s a mixture that is tried all too often by bands, but rarely do they reach the peaks that ‘Chemognosis’ does.
Boarhammer is one of the reasons I love to explore new bands and projects, as sometimes you come across these shining diamonds that need to be heard, treasured and spread.
Score: 88/100
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