Artist: Doedsvangr
Country: Norway / FInland / France
Label: Soulseller Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
Gehenna, Mayhem, Sargeist, Horna, Tsjuder, Nordjevel and Aosoth: it’s just a fraction of the impressive resume of bands that the members of Doedsvangr have been involved. More often than not, creating a super star ensemble leads to rather mediocre results, but credit where it’s due, Doedsvangr released a rather strong sophomore album with ‘Serpents ov Old’. In the five years that followed, the band dipped their toes in the live scene and released an EP in 2022, but now finally they return with their third album, out through their new strategic alliance with Soulseller Records.
When comparing the old albums and the new, in essence you could say that ‘Within the Flesh’ is a combination of ‘Serpents ov Old’ and the subsequent EP ‘Koinonia’. The band still blends Black Metal from Norway, Sweden and Finland, sounding roughly like a clash of Tsjuder, Nordjevel, Funeral Mist and Sargeist. However, one distinction on ‘Within the Flesh’ is that the guitars have a slightly rawer and deeper tone, creating a buzzing sound that very much reminds me of the Aosoth record ‘III: Violence & Variations’. Furthermore, underneath the riffs is an unsettling dissonance that is more omnipresent than it was on ‘Serpents ov Old’, another feature that inevitably draws Doedsvangr closer to guitar player BST’s former band. And mind you, that is nothing but positive as the gap left by the French band is still felt. The almost mechanical thundering punch of Antichristian’s kick drums, the buzzing crunch of Shatraug and BST’s guitars, the pulsating bass of Sanrabb and the vile dictation of Doedsadmiral contribute to a Doedsvangr album that feels darker, more impenetrable and unnerving than any of their previous recordings.
Yet there is room for some melodic elements, for instance in the weeping lead of ‘Black Sun Dissolution’ or the quite open melodies in ‘Omnipath’. There are some atmospheric humming keys in ‘Blodskam’ too, adding greatly to the atmosphere of the track. I will remember this album fondly for its overall grittier and more choking appearance. For instance in ‘Blodskam’, where a skincrawling dragging tempo evolves into a cataclysmic burst of violence. Or in ‘Devil Bites Man’ and ‘Within the Flesh’, where the ferocity is fully unleashed is where the band is at their best. The howling lead in ‘Black Sun Dissolution’ is highly memorable as well, and in its entirety the album feels like a clear step up from their previous work.
The shift towards a more menacing and suffocating guitar sound with an increased level of dissonance make ‘Within the Flesh’ the most convincing Doedsvangr album to date. By no means dismissing the band’s earlier work, in the past they mostly just lived up to certain standard expected from the experience of the members. Yet now feels as if this union has fully found it stride, together creating something twisted and intriguing that is more than the sum of all its parts.
