Heavy Song of the Week is a feature from Heavy Consequence that looks at the best metal and hard rock songs you should listen to every Friday. This week, the top spot goes to Norway's 1349 for their latest single “Shadow Point.”
Norwegian black metal veterans 1349 have established themselves as one of the most consistent and reliable acts in the genre. Since their formation in the late 90s, the group has remained faithful to the tradition of second wave black metal, while also embracing the comforts of modern sound production.
Simply put, the band understands the inherent formula of second-wave “Atmosphere x Structure” when it comes to songwriting. On a song like their excellent new single “Shadow Point,” the barrage of blast beats, tremolo plucks, and ominous howls (vocalist Ravn makes great use of overdubs for a cascading effect) is aimed at creating an impenetrable sonic fray. For some black metal bands, that would be enough — creating a frigid wall of sound.
But 1349, like other masters such as Gorgoroth and Darkthrone, also have a knack for working in discernible riffs and breakdowns without breaking the “suspension of disbelief,” for lack of a better term. These moments feel authentic and serve the core composition, while also adding that touch of heavy metal grandeur that even the most begrudgingly purist black metal fans can surely appreciate.
“Shadow Point” is the second single from 1349’s upcoming album, The Wolf and the Kingwhich will be released on October 4th via Season of Mist. The eight-song album was produced and mixed by Jarrett Prichard and 1349 frontman Ravn on NEW CONSTELLATION RMP
stream the video for “Shadow Point” below.
Honorable mentions:
Jesus Lizard – “Alexis feels sick”
This week, The Jesus Lizard unveiled another powerful song from their upcoming reunion album. Shelf“Alexis Feels Sick” opens with a lengthy bass intro from David Wm. Sims before Duane Denison’s guitar work and David Yow’s unhinged vocals take over. Yow’s screams are always deceptively catchy – vocal phrases that lodge themselves in your head, in this case the repetition of the song’s title in the verses. Meanwhile, Denison’s guitar arrangement remains unpredictable throughout, shifting between textural passages and angular post-hardcore riffs.
NAILS – “Give me the painkiller”
NAILS move fast on “Give Me the Painkiller,” the latest single from the upcoming album Every bridge burningThe opening salvo of notes is pure speed metal before diving into hard-hitting hardcore. There's a bit of D-beat and the tempo only pauses for a brief change of direction and a pre-solo breakdown. This could appeal to hardcore, metalcore, and extreme metal listeners alike. It's worth noting that the 2-minute, 44-second length is exactly twice as long as NAILS' previous single, “Imposing Will” (which felt a bit too short).
NILO – “Secret Fang Strike”
In contrast to NILE’s previous, highly maximalist single, “To Strike with Secret Fang” is a compact, two-minute assault of spasmodic death-thrash that’s so fast it verges on black metal (the vocals here are still too guttural and audible to be full-on black-metal). NILE mastermind Karl Sanders described it as a song that “instantly goes straight for the throat,” an apt summation. This is the band at their most vicious and direct.
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