Prepare yourself for a potentially damaging plunge into darkness: Draw Blood, the latest release from Svarttjern, seeks to embody the spirit of Norwegian black metal with a force that’s both relentless and grimly atmospheric. Across ten tracks, Svarttjern’s sixth studio album gnashes and claws its way through themes of lust, violence, and irreverant blasphemy, beckoning listeners into a raw, sinister realm.

From the outset, Draw Blood makes it clear that the band’s sound has not softened with time. Opening track Determination erupts, after a spoken word intro, with malicious intent, setting the tone with relentless percussion from Audun and serrated riffs from guitarists HaaN and Fjellnord. The title track punches through with wicked intensity, cementing the album’s brutal approach. HansFyrste’s vocal delivery here is as venomous as ever, the rasped lyrics cutting through the fray with palpable spite and darkness.

Throughout, the band’s craftsmanship is razor-sharp. Don’t Contain Your Lust and Erect Your Congregation plunge into visceral themes with the confident, swaggering ease you’d expect from veterans of the scene. The groove and grind of these tracks suggest an unholy marriage of blackened riffs and macabre ambition. Audun’s drumming provides a relentless backbone, while Malphas on bass fills out the lower end with a grinding, ominous weight, intensifying the band’s deep-rooted, blackened edge.

But Svarttjern doesn’t let up; the album’s midsection takes a bold turn with “Lick My Flesh” and “Chop, Slit, Flay,” where the rhythmic onslaught and atmosphere are honed to ferocious precision. Each song slashes with the controlled aggression Svarttjern is known for, while still making room for moments of sinister melody that keep the listener in their grip.

A notable curveball here is the cover of the Rolling Stones classic, Under My Thumb. It’s a devilishly twisted rendition, executed with a sense of irony that doesn’t undermine the original’s bite but, instead, reinforces the menacing tones of Svarttjern’s version. Closing track Sin, Offer, Obey takes the album full circle with fervant riffage and blasphemous overtones, bringing Draw Blood to a fittingly dark end.

Recorded at Surt Studio and Red Room Studio and mixed and mastered by Malphas, the production on Draw Blood is both gritty and sharp, preserving the band’s edge while delivering a full, immersive soundscape. This is not an album for the faint-hearted; it’s a merciless auditory assault, intent on capturing the dread and intensity of Svarttjern’s Weltanschauung.

With Draw Blood, Svarttjern has unleashed a savage paean to their craft, in the process cementing their place as stalwarts of the Norwegian black metal scene. It’s an album that pulls no punches, offering listeners a blood-soaked, unholy experience that will keep the faithful coming back for more.

Draw Blood releases on December 6th.