Katharsis Fourth Reich (2009)
Norwegian-style black metal is probably my least favorite form of black metal, though I do appreciate it for its aesthetic approach to extreme metal, with its horror/fantasy vibe, and dedication to being insular and almost misanthropically experimental. This band manages to overcome the "limitations" of "pure", Darkthrone-style black metal, while still adhering to them in their own way.
They tend to have two modes: raw, dissonant black metal -- which, depending on my mood, isn't as much to my taste (though I'll take it over Darkthrone) -- and then extended passages of highly dynamic, repetitive riffs, almost like a grind-paced early Bathory taken to
Hammerheart-level song lengths. Those sections are simply fantastic and unique as far as I know. The two approaches (raw dissonance v. repetitive riffing) aren't so much at odds however, as they are different versions of the same idea, if that makes sense. I guess the latter serves as sort of an endless climax to the former.
I'd say the last half of the opening track, "So Nail the Hearts", is one of the highlights of all of not just black metal, but extreme metal in general. That riff, played over and over again, just propels the song along almost like a galloping Maiden riff, but without blending black metal with trad metal, as Immortal do.
Amusingly, this is a five song EP, but with three songs clocking in at over ten minutes, it's as long as many full-length albums. Sort of like how Reverend Bizarre used to do. Anyone who loves BM needs this album in their life. Big props to HHBH for introducing me to this band a few years ago, and big props to me for finally remembering today that they existed.
And no, they are not a Nazi band.