Sarke - Viige Urh

So the question I know you always ask yourself is "What does Nocturno Culto do when he's not in Darkthrone?" The answer is - play in another sick black metal band, Sarke. A group who truly understand the Norwegian black metal aesthetic and who unleash potent, King Diamond and Venom influenced black metal are surprisingly articulate given the 80s influences. This is a record that fuses the bet of old and new, taps into Darkthrones legacy without aping Darkthrone but instead hints at broad new musical vistas.

I think the inherent swagger and ethereal triumph found in the work of Nocturno Culto only serves to add to the magic of Sarke. Viige Urh is the sort of frigid Nordic black metal that is impossible to separate yourself from. There is a sort of eternal appeal to this kind of music for me, it speaks to something much greater and reminds me of why I got into the genre in the first place. It's a record that's not afraid to step back into the groove and let the transcendent power of the music wash over you. Sure "time is running out" but we get the sense that Sarke are pushing towards a greater twisted goal.

It's easy to get lost in Viige Urh and all that the band has come to represent with this record. Nocturno Culto and his merry men (Perhaps most notably including Steinar Gundersen of Satyricon) drive forth with the sort of devilish madness that defined the genre for years. Yet when the band really steps back and creates something grandiose, as they do with the intro to Jutul, we are once more reminded of how goddamn talented these guys are and the inherent beauty that this music is going to have, no matter what.

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