“Helvegr” embodies the classic frost-bitten hallmark of Tsjuder that takes the furious direction of the scorching tremolo picking and hyper-drumming blast beats. Musically, the Norwegian stalwarts raise the bar high with their uncompromising rawness and ferociousness, as violent and evil as anything that Norwegian black metal can bring. With hellfire and brimstone ablaze by the malevolent work of the scorching riffs in the opening track “Iron Beast” offering a pure evil atmosphere, the explosive cauldron bursts into a blaze of tremolo-picked riffs.

There’s not a moment on “Helvegr” that lacks incredible fury, therefore Tsjuder enhances the pitch-darkness atmosphere and the quality of the infernal riffing which is fully manifested by the blistering dynamics. The songwriting is flawless composed to be as vicious and ripping as possible, the band displays a tight grip on tremolo riffing, and the snarling vocal lines are well-delivered. A fist of hellish fury ignites the spirit of old-school black metal in the following track “Prestehammeren” creating a punkish black metal feel before the frantic hammering of the drums launches into a blitzkrieg attack.

The riffing is inspired by the second wave of black metal bands such as Marduk, Immortal, Mayhem, and 1349, therefore “Helvegr” strikes the listener without a warning and there is no doubt that Tsjuder has retained the supreme trademark of Scandinavia style. The cold icy riffs a la Dissection in the track “Surtr” are carried by a stellar guitar intro. The riffs are faster and laden with a buzz-sawing tone that makes each song sound cold and raw, inflicted by the constant blast beats. Tsjuder has molded its sound flawlessly, and Draugluin delivers sharp guitar melodies showcasing even faster and hateful bursts of hellish tempos. The hypersonic blast beats are powerfully executed, and they go well with the blazing riffs, there is so much diversity in speed from the guitars, but it’s played in a grim and furious manner.

“Gamle-Erik” continues in the infernal direction as the previous songs, the uncompromising and brutal approach characterizes the subversive tone of the guitar riffs. “Helvegr” gets more aggressive, grim, and more relentless when drumming shifts to hyper-blast beats and this is to say that the drums are loud as the thundering storm. Yet the outstanding guitar solo of guest musician Pål Emanuelsen who handles the mixing and mastering of the album encapsulates the overwhelming hyper blast of the riffing barrages. “Chaos Fiend” unleashes the raw aggression of the tremolos and the machine-gun drums, which is the highlight of this album. Vocalist and bassist Nag creates every classic evil kind of black metal feel that seems so rare in the genre today.

“Gods of Black Blood” maintains the frenzy and dynamic levels of speed and power in the riffing with some slower tempos that pick up the pace in a matter of seconds and lash the piece into a furious Satanic black metal madness. Tsjuder delivers unparalleled performance in their sixth album, combining fierce riffing assaults, aggression, and top-notch quality throughout. The trio embraces the classic hallmarks as they have successfully transformed their work into pure, merciless and evil music that can transport the listener into sinister realms of darkness.

The guitar never loses its scorching power and contains tremendous force triggered by tremolo pickings in all the tracks, and intense blast beats. Another highlight is the album’s title track “Helvegr” which surprisingly has some slow atmosphere and hair-raising guitar in the song’s intro. The melodic elements enhance the general mood of the track by creating some slow moments. And the wall of sound that is created by the galloping riffs, the cold riffing surely makes it one of the best songs in the album.

“Faenskap og død” opens with barrages of cannon fire-like riffs leaving only a trail of destruction and setting a blistering pace for the drums that results in brutal double bass kicks, blast beats, and cold evil riffing. The atmosphere in the instrumental track “Hvit Død” showcases the excellent performance, however, the guitar has more elements other than black metal and provide such great melody for a perfect closure.

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