From the depths of Norway looms a new rising beast of hate and misanthropy in the form of Avmakt. Featuring the duo of Kristian Valbo and Christoffer Bråthen - known for their work with such acts as Aura Noir, Obliteration, and Condor - their debut album, The Satanic Inversion of…., is a grim and revelatory offering. Primitive in a way that captures the early magic of Kolbotn’s metal kings, Darkthrone, as well as the stark chaos of early-era Bathory along with their very own distinguishable stamp on the genre, The Satanic Inversion of…. is a masterclass of real black metal feeling, wrapped up in a hypnotic frenzy of ice-cold riffing.

Though both members had played in bands covering different genres since their early teenage years, black metal had always been one of the most important as a vehicle for an honesty and fierceness that resonated deeply within the duo, without the need for extravagant clothing or pretentious concepts. And so Avmakt itself was born as the vessel for channelling this stripped down raw feeling.

Formed in 2020 and with their one and only demo release gaining traction in the underground, the Norwegians quickly came to the attention of Darkthrone’s Fenriz and Peaceville Records, and Avmakt was swiftly included on Peaceville’s Black Metal Compilation, Dark Side Of The Sacred Star which launched at the end of 2022.

“Underground metal the way it should sound returns to Kolbotn!” - Fenriz (Darkthrone)

Avmakt itself means “powerlessness”, the sense of being overwhelmed and not able to have any influence - without choice, voice, or hope. And so it is from far down in this psychological abyss that Avmakt’s ideas and expressions manifest with the completion of their debut studio release; 6 sprawling epic tracks recorded with the assistance of Arild Torp, also of Obliteration, and encapsulating such themes as emptiness, desolation, and alienation in a powerful display of sinister, uninhibited black metal.

Preorder at burningshed.com.

Tracklisting:

“Ordinance”
“Poison Reveal”
“Sharpening Blades Of Cynicism”
“Towing Oblivion”
“Charred”
“Doubt And The Void”

“Poison Reveal”: