Norway’s Drottnar were formed in 1996 as Vitality, back then playing a slightly technical form of Death Metal. Shortly after, they did change both name (into the current one, Drottnar) and musical approach, the latter being more epic and paganized Black Metal oriented. But during the 2000’s, the style evolved some more, floating into the actual direction of experimental and technical Grind-Metal with, musically, a profound Black Metal foundation. Lyrically, the contrast is huge, for Drottnar don’t bring anti-Christian and blaspheme themes, but rather biblically-inspired lyrics. Nowadays, this did evolve into a more political / philosophical approach, but still of the unblack kind (f*ck, ‘unblack’; I wonder who did ‘invent’ this word and I hope a bullet or any alternative will end his / her pathetic existence…).
There were some mini-releases before (vinyl singles / EP’s) and one full length (Welterwerk, released in 2006 via this very same label), but actually the recordings of this sophomore full length date from 2009. Due to circumstances whatsoever, the actual release date had been postponed a couple of times, but the eight-tracker (total running time: thirty eight minutes) is now, finally, available.
Stratum might be Drottnar’s most progressive and experimental album to date. It’s the kind of sonic frenzy that fellow countrymen of Extol or Ram-Zet bring, or material in the vein of Cephalic Carnage, Mistress, Anaal Nathrakh, Ephel Duath, Red Chord or The Dillinger Escape Plan.
It’s a schizophrenic trip through dimensions of utter madness and sonic extremism, but performed with the aim to overwhelm, surprise and enthral. It’s an amalgam of morbid layers of terrifying inconvenience and boundary-pushing destructures. And believe me, Drottnar succeed! Stratum is chaos, yet of a mostly structured kind - a masochistic expression of disharmony, dissonance and distress. You like it or you don’t, but in both cases one cannot ignore the gargantuan approach. Besides, the production is hot and sweaty, moisturising the Final Apocalypse with nuclear Blood and Semen…
Finally this: I’d like to refer to the new EP by Orbweaver (review posted on the site on October 14th) as well, in case you do appreciate this kind of sh*t!