The imposing riffs evoke the classical Norwegian tradition, offering some of the best music you will hear this year. The eponymous track ‘Den Vrede Makt’ is filled with powerful emotions, energy and infectious melodic tremolos that never fail to deliver. A great start for the album. The misanthropic inclinations of the band had already been strengthened on the previous release ‘Winds of Wrath’. While the riffs are mostly played at a blistering speed with many tempos changes and catchy instrumentation parts coursing with magical characteristics, Whoredom Rife’s music transport the listener to the grim forests of Norway.

The direction of the fourth album proceeds in a magnificent consistency and is perfectly suitable for such a raw atmosphere. The duo has mixed different styles of black metal into a song like ‘Fiender’ which highlights the standardized style of black metal, molded in such a way to provide tons of guitar hooks. Even the dissonant guitar section and atmosphere differs from song to song. However, the songs might sound less epic this time, the drumming is underpinned while the guitars provide all hooks together.

‘Hevnens Rett’ is noticeable for its high-pitched black metal vocals, the binding tremolos and the drums transition from mid-tempo to faster sections. The guitars resonate with the mystery of the majestic Norwegian flamboyance that instills variety into the song structure. The immense atmosphere on this track explodes as the guitars utilize the raw atmosphere and the grim melancholy of the bass guitar and the screeching vocals emphasize the trademark atmosphere in the slower passages. There is plenty of dark emotion here, as well as the melodies which are another element to this song.

Another well-crafted song is ‘Phantom Sword’ which marks a new stylistic quality for the duo where they offer some fresh sound with the guitar tone being deep and classic sounding. The song arrangement, melodies and vocals conjure up an awe-inspiring piece of coldness with vicious rhythm guitars building layers of tremolos. As a result, the fourth album sounds entirely different from the band’s previous releases. Although I don’t consider the music to be as raw, Whoredom Rife continues to display aggression, in the sense of the hammering blast beats and yielding an unexpected turn of musical motif.

The duo achieves the traditional and classical influence of early black metal. If anything  it sounds like a northern storm. The continuous blizzard of the drums on ‘Ravenous’ focuses on creating cold, black metal landscapes. These aesthetics make the song relentless with the blazing tone of the icy tremolos.

The classic throwback to Satyricon’s classic albums ‘The Shadowthrone’ and ‘Nemesis Divina’ is the primary point on the fourth album. The grim quality of the rhythm guitars dominates over the screeching vocals. The bass guitar fits the equation perfectly by sounding crystal clear as it provides depth with the contrasting layers of melodies. These combinations are so impactful with the lead guitar. It’s very captivating and bleak.

The guitars are a key factor in the fourth album because of the outright display of aggression holding the essence of classic Norwegian black metal that gives it that majestic feeling. The tremolos in the final track ‘The Beautiful End of All’ is another well-crafted song that stand out on this album. The grim cold vocals create a feeling of mystery as the guitars incorporate slower melodic chords and the slow drum patterns and pounding double bass add a catchy layer to this eleven-minute cut.

The duo’s creative patterns and songwriting skills in convey a sense of a cold and dark sentiment in which the music is played in a very atmospheric and emotional overflow. The melodies and the guitar hooks are beautifully incorporated as they complement the grim tone of the vocals which sound outstanding. Whoredom Rife has pulled off something of their own and their music aligns perfectly with the second wave of the black metal era and can be compared to the bands like Satyricon and Taake.

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