According to Norse mythology, Slidhr is a river in hell, the land of the dead, and this is exactly what the new eight songs convey by capturing a malevolent sound. Massive textures of dissonance and fiery blast beats overwhelmingly exert hellish energy in the opening track “The Temple Armoury” with the furious drums and the sharp guitars forming a backdrop of hellish quality pervading every single moment of this ominous track. The guitars inject aggression into the music, with the guitar riffs sounding extremely dark as the wickedly sinister growling paints a landscape of barren mountains and dead trees.

The drumming is insanely fast in contrast to the cold necro riffing, most of the songs are poised to sound fast, and several tempo changes combined with some slow drumming paces. Vicious guitar riffs maintain the rhythm of the song and dripping with phosphorus sludge adding hooks to the following song “Sacred Defiance”. Slidhr abides by the methods of orthodox black metal style and there are plenty of dreadful screams and ambient elements which snuff out the melodies. The atmosphere is cloaked in a sinister malevolence that churns out some incredibly bleak moments, and they are mainly emphasized in the slower tempos.

The synth and the ominous atmosphere in the opening intro of “Trench Offering” dominate the flow of the brooding guitars, the album is equally bleak and filled with many dark moments. The slow riffing style, blast beats, and performance quality measure the churning dark atmosphere. Slidhr’s songwriting is focused on rhythm guitars and the sudden tempo changes that make the songs effective and engaging, while the rumbling drums can sometimes be less rapid the trio instills memorable riffs, and the guitars are pivotal in creating slow ominous overtones. When listening to the third album, “White Hart!” I felt that my soul plummeted into the abyss and sank deep into the scorching pits of hell, Slidhr showcasing unique songwriting standards across forty-five minutes.

The trio uncovers their talent faculties of the sleek guitar arrangement to define the role of the rhythm by enhancing a sense of bleakness in the track “What the Gauntlet Bestows” which offers aural effects, the intensifying blaze of tremolo-picked riffs to reinforce the song, the sheer force of the double kicks and the dark riffing often utilized from the dissonance. Another great example is the clean guitars in certain passages that add textures to the sound. “The Bloodied Tongue” is a pagan anthem combined with menacing growls and this is the kind of manifestation that Slidhr opts for, each track has a different dimension and song patterns.

The fact that the rhythm provides a cold feeling and provokes a dark sensation, from the fierce drumming to the intense tremolo pickings “Wall of Reptile” ignites an incredible and powerful roar of flames over the furious drums. Much in the vein of bands like Primordial, Sinmara, Watain, and Svartidauði, Slidhr embodies the spirit of orthodox black metal. The composition is enhanced by slow guitar chords, tremolos, and dissonance, with the rumbling bass guitar employing bleak tonal riffs. Slidhr uniquely mixes the style of orthodox black metal with a modernized sound without eschewing classic methods of tremolo pickings. The solos, leads, and rhythm guitars are all noteworthy, and they are brilliantly executed.

The closing track “Hate’s Noose Tightens” is where the guitars build momentum in the raging tempo, the drumming shifts from blast beats to heavy double kicks, and the savagery of the growls adds to the whole sound. The guitars maintain a cold misanthropic tone and are propelled by the thundering riffs of the bass guitar in the background, manifesting vicious aggression and cold blackened melodies offering intensity and tons of musical hooks filled with blazing riffs.

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