Artist: Adversus Semita
Country: Norway
Label: Altare Productions / Astral Nightmare Productions / Purity Through Fire
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2025
Adversus Semita was conceived somewhere in 2009 by its sole member Abandoned and hails from Trondheim. The city has been, and still is, one of the most relevant spawning grounds of Norwegian Black Metal, with for instance bands like Manes, Thorns, Bloodthorn, all the stellars acts linked to Terratur Possessions and the Nidrosian Black Metal scene, and Gjendød calling it home. Yet, Abandoned seems to act outside those circles, solemnly building an Adversus Semita discography consisting of the debut ‘Hopeless Melancholy’ released by Self Mutilation Services and the Astral Nightmare Productions and Purity Through Fire released second record ‘Ad Mortem Cunae Agitantur’. Those latter labels once again joined forces and were complemented by the revered Altare Productions to release Adversus Semita’s third born, 2025’s ‘Forgangen Helligbrøde’.
Musically Adversus Semita’s Black Metal also doesn’t have all that much in common with their Trondheim peers. The only bands that are somewhat comparable are Selvhat, and perhaps a distant shade of Vemod can be heard on the preceding record ‘Ad Mortem Cunae Agitantur’. Instead, ‘Forgangen Helligbrøde’ is an album that marries the melancholic atmosphere of Forgotten Woods and Burzum with a more uptempo melodicism that at times nears the Swedes of Dawn. The latest album is thereby a logical continuation of the previous recordings, evolving from the gritty depressive Black Metal of the debut towards the pacey and more open sophomore record. Yet, there are notable differences in the formula as well. In the past, the music was more focussed on stretching out sections with a sense of hypnotising repetition, which is less of a focal point on the latest album. With a guitar sound that is somewhere between the rawness of the debut and the cleaner follow-up, the pace more often than before extends into fierce tempos, making the latest album is by far the most versatile. Yet it still is clearly still aimed at the same purpose: capturing entrancing melancholy.
In this musical frame the vocals of Abandoned stand out as rather unique, offering a more bellowing and tormented style. It offers quite a contrast with the weeping and yearning atmosphere, but one that works splendidly. The first two tracks ‘Gjenklang av Engleskares Kvalte Dødskantate’ and ‘Med Tvang Ties den Lovpriste Høysang’ certainly capture that sense of melancholy throughout, though limit the slower build-up to a minimum and for the most part operate at a medium to high pace. In my opinion, the quality of Adversus Semita really shines in ‘Sinnet Farer mot Evig Dvale’ and ‘Det Livløse Blomstrer på Lysets Grav’. Despite the higher pace initially, the brooding atmosphere combined with a wonderful melodic flow of ‘Sinnet Farer mot Evig Dvale’ is top notch. The weeping melodies and the extended instrumental ending continue to pile on the sorrow in a splendid manner. Though some transitions in ‘Det livløse blomstrer på lysets grav’ are perhaps a little less fluid, the melodies are perhaps of even higher quality than the preceding track. They add a mesmerizing quality to the music, less through repetition and more through enthralling riffs. The song also balances between clean strumming to furious pace, offering the widest range of emotions on the record.
With ‘Forgangen Helligbrøde’, Adversus Semita has released its most intense record, not only in pace but also in capturing melancholic yearning. Not only the most versatile, in terms of riffs it is certainly also the best Abandoned has offered thus far.
