With the horses dead, the carriage wheels collapsed and all morbid thoughts ringing through the advancing night this third act in step toward death by way of Oslo, Norway-based black metal trio DJEVEL uses the glow of fading light and pitch black atmosphere to pull the curtain shut on this masterful ninth full-length album. Given a choir of ghosts, the wrath of a soul near death, and brain-whipping adrenaline in witness of supernatural beauty ‘Natt til ende‘ is both characteristic in its eventful stride and dramatic in its ouevre where all aspects of this band’s efforts are amplified, made increasingly beauteous and cutting in their advance. The result is simultaneously approachable, easily read and enjoyed, and nuanced in its deathly sharpened classics-conscious yet creatively struck reach.

Although the history of Djevel stretches back to 2009, includes Dirge Rep and even folks involved in the early days of Kvelertak with much to say of interest with regard for their nine album discography we can hit the fast-forward button this time around since I’d covered much of it in the past between reviewing the brilliant ‘Blant Svarte Graner‘ (2018) and its darker follow-up ‘Ormer Til Armer, Maane Til Hode‘ (2019). That album would end the Mannevond era of the group before he’d gone on to revive Koldbrann and join Craft (Sweden) this year while at the same time the efforts of drummer Faust (Blood Tsunami, ex-Emperor) had crossed over the end of that era (beyond 2017) as the inclusion of vocalist/bassist Kvitrim (Mare, Vemod, et al.) brought us to the suggested “Night” set trilogy of albums, that which concludes with ‘Natt til ende‘. There is of course too much context to go on summing up to a point of reductive thought, so, it’d serve just as well to describe their work as distinguished agony, a melancholic troupe rich in its dark-fluidic voice where references to the intent of earlier Taake as well as Kvist‘s album lend a sense of classicism to their patiently seething guitar phrases. Not only has much changed with this particular trio in action but this album brings its own narrative endpoint, features which are classic in design but not limited to wholly ancient movement.

Do not mistake Djevel‘s alignment on this particular trilogy of work as retro-revisionism or imitation as we find a foundation built within the rush of ideas introduced on ‘Tanker Som Rir Natten‘ (2021) where swinging, almost sweetly melodic post-punk tinged ten minute dirges met up with some folken, melodic and choral rouse. Whatever magick had occurred in those sessions that’d expanded their ouevre in such a bold way spilled over into the quickly readied follow-up ‘Naa skrider natten sort‘ (2022), a lush and epically stated black metal album conveying the durance of the night again through longform songcraft which was intensely immersive. The foundation for innovation was lain between those two albums in the sense that this third piece arrives readied to use a resounding chorale, cold-crafted synth, melodious and/or bass guitar driven movement, and a knack for a mid-tempo dirge to generate the fatigue of the utter dark in steady motion. ‘Natt til ende‘ doesn’t necessarily hold us within said fixation, the thick of the nightside aura instead gives way to this notion of an endpoint as Death plays its role and the endpoint is insight rather than a sense of eternity in motion.

Opener “Bespottelsen” arrives with the auld fangs of Norse black metal on display, a vicious enough guitar arrangement which starts quick and cutting when compared to the reach of the previous two Djevel releases, lending a classicist note to the album up front via their choice of technique and temperament. The refrain beyond the two minute mark is however very different as layers of atmoblack guitar and choir-like vocals lend a dramatic, slow-scaling thread to the song’s opening station. Relatively speaking this is a proper opener, setting some expectation of shorter to-the-point songs rather than the often savagely longform introductions of their previous two albums. The pace won’t necessarily give anyone whiplash to start but there is at least some urgency to this point of entry and the tone of ‘Natt til ende‘ is set somewhere between ominous and melodramatic.

The big moment, the hook and the initial point of delve comes with the longer stride of “En vinter efter kommer” which not only introduces clean vocals from main composer/guitarist Trond Ciefels, eventually bringing in folken choral harmonies in wide-swaying step as we push toward the final third of the song. This does a beautiful job of expanding the reach of the piece via a cathedral-filling hymnal rouse, still offering the coldness of their sound while also bearing an eerie religious/Norse tone. The full listen only intensifies from this point, snuffing out the light rather than calling for worship, yet we do not lose the oaken atmosphere and melodicism inherent to Djevel‘s personal style in this configuration. While I wouldn’t compare this level of craft to something as simply conjured as early Ulver I think certain elements might appeal to the same ear. This is especially true when reaching for the theatre of black metal muse in fast-and-slick combination with soaring atmospheric reach, just as we find with “Ravnehymne” a piece which achieves the glowing lilt and severity of “En vinter efter kommer” in two thirds of the time producing another equally fixated moment right after. Per my own experience this was the tunnel in, a quicker and more effective pilling into the cold world they’d illustrated.

Naturally, Djevel have long displayed a natural ear for haunting riff and searching melody, applying a left hand which refuses to steady in terms of momentum and monument, and in this sense it is difficult to sum and avoid addressing each piece of ‘Natt til ende‘ as they’ve all managed to captivate via dramatic atmospheric melt (see: “Jesu lidelse”) but truly this album reaches new highs in this regard thanks to its deeper focus on both vocalist’s range wherein menace and some manner of ethereally delivered dread characterize the full listen. Likewise cutting the length of their compositions in half allows the greater death at hand to emerge within easier to grasp containment as ~5-6 minute on average black metal songs. Side A is particularly approachable for this reason as each piece flows through manage one or more peaks of interest which calls back for reexamination.

The ghosts call down upon the quiet of the clearing while the echoic fleet-footed kick of the drums lend a sense of broadness to Djevel’s re-entry as “Under nattens fane i fanden” sweeps in to introduce Side B as a glowing event. Organs begin to grind, guitars hum along, and the final shape of the riff hails down in funereal scene, a promise of calm, agonizing cold which (to me) resembles a style of black metal I’d probably have considered atmospheric by design in the mid-90’s which is yet anchored by a cyclic riff and harder hit rhythm. Though it might be difficult to hear out of context the sense that this album is inherently more aggressive, holding a hidden hand of violence, should’ve sorted itself out by now on the full listen. Otherwise the grand finale offered by the ~14.5 minute closer/title track (“Natt til ende”) reinforces this with its hypnotic yet threshing introduction and the slow-moving keyboard/synth driven saunter ’til the end.

Though this album takes us deeper into the Djevel‘s woods unto rituals and blasphemic encounter via its mystic, wrathfully Norwegian black metal suspension and some inspired riffcraft the greater atmosphere built within the tree-swaying dread of ‘Natt til ende‘ might be my favorite part of its holistic effect. It isn’t the bite of the cold or the nose-stinging scent of burning pitch that they’ve conjured here but the panoramic wash of the night growing darkest over a cold and indifferent place. They’ve done well to end this suggested trilogy with a slow-pulled shroud over the body, so to speak, and it makes for a dramatic and peaking record which balances sombre atmosphere and malevolent spellcraft in appreciably unique-yet-classicist clime. A fine black metal record with brilliant layers to peel back (if so inclined) which can also be enjoyed heartily at face value. A high recommendation.

Djevel "Natt til ende" (deluxe vinyl)

---