Bindrune Recordings: Woodland Denizens unite!

Terrorizer
With an individualistic adgenda – seemingly occult rather than political – Cold Northern Vengeance’s ‘Domination and Servitude’ is something of a cut above in terms of both quality and vision, blending sombre but aggressive black metal with neo folk/industrial influences, and featuring a number of clean, rousing numbers and even some oi!oi!oi!-ing, which frankly, is something you don’t get to say about many black metal albums. The musicianship isn’t always stellar, particularly with headphone scrutiny, but the spirit more than overcomes. [8.5] RH

www.antimusic.com/www.thrashpit.com (Mark Hensch)
For an album entitled Domination and Servitude, this record sure leans towards the former. Despite being the debut full-length for New England black metal outfit Cold Northern Vengeance, Domination exudes confidence and will on a scale older bands only dream of. Rather than toe the line of black metal cliches, Cold Northern Vengeance instead flies their own flag, one whose colors mix together into something unmistakably black but in a shade darker than the norm.

Take the moody atmospherics of "A Dangerous Wayfaring" for example. The song begins with chilling throat vocals, the likes of which herald the approach of murky riffs and cold melodies. Emerging from this dark shroud of sound are twisting time signature changes, slamming guitar runs, and even infectious choruses.

Following this, "Hidden 93" unfolds in much the same way. Building tension off an ethereal guitar melody, the song slowly careens into chaos by unleashing increasingly frantic riffing. Once this furious assault wears itself down, the song wisely returns to the quiet melancholy of the original melody, like a cloud of fog which rolls over a town twice in one dreary day.

"A Past Forgotten," meanwhile, clocks in at an epic length of nearly 11 minutes but never wanders off course into tedium. Instead, "Forgotten" storms past with a mix of headbang-inducing guitars, fiery fretwork, and rhythmic, face-smashing percussion. Though the song often seesaws between malice and magnificence, its stunning section of hang-in-the-air melodic guitar sweeps is worth the price of admission alone. Once the frosty tremolo lines enter the stage, even the most elitist of black metal fans should be converted.

The band next throws another curveball with the somber "The Shores of New England." Quiet and simplistic, this powerful acoustic piece speaks volumes without a single word. "The Black Silence," for its part, runs in much the same vein; its twinkling piano keys are a chilling backdrop for hopeless shrieks and ominous noises.

With such diverse songs, genre aficionados and open-minded music fans alike will find much that pleases them on Domination and Servitude. Though each song stands on its own, the final sum of their combination is darkness hell-bent on conquering the world. Chock this one up as yet another great release within the recent output of the United States Black Metal movement.

Corazine.com
From the grunge of bedroom black metal to crusty stoner twinges to bleak folk metal, Cold Northern Vengeance covers a gamut of raw, dark music with symphonic aspirations. A punky, DIY vibe contributes to the ultra-indie feel of the disc while wintry melodicism reveals an artful touch. Both of these elements contribute to the dominating mood of this atmospheric, shadowheavy release. Cold Northern Vengeance touches on bits that are more rock-based in groove and which call to mind the gritty approach of Venom (notably with the throaty vocals and the rock hooks) as well as more shreddy vox atop contemporary minded black metal stylings. Then there are the infusions of such beauty summoning instrumentations as acoustic guitar and piano, a nice mix with the spacey density of the uber-distorted electric guitar. A little diversity and a lot of moodiness make this a worthy checking out, even for black metal elitists.

Blabbermouth.net (Scott Alisoglu)
Had I spent time with this when it first arrived in the last quarter of 2008, it would have been worth at least an honorable mention in my year-end list. "Domination and Servitude" from New England's COLD NORTHERN VENGEANCE is one of the more imaginative efforts from the USBM scene, at least among those that are mindful of keeping one foot just inside the traditional circle, then expanding the sound into more experimental terrain.

And yet, the work of Heathen (Shaman, guitars, vocals, keys, bass) and Gemini (lead guitars, electric bass guitar, Hammond organ, piano, battery) is not in league with the noise terrorists, the shoe gazers, or the BM suicide squads. The sounds are in fact dark and morose and the temperatures well below freezing, but amidst the more traditional black metal segments, the songs are often quite tuneful and the band weaves a good deal of folk into its dense tapestry. A song like "A Dangerous Wayfaring" sports a catchy melody, alternating between British goth tones and grittier BM segments, those same vibes returning on "Communion". An even more infectious melody is found on standout track "Heathen, Heretic, Scapegoat", which is quite similar to the kind of sing-along folk heard on WINTERFYLLETH's "The Ghost of Heritage". It is just a great song, no matter how you decide to dissect it. The act then smoothly incorporates a mechanical/industrial delivery into the cold 'n trippy "The By-Paths to Chaos" and a pristine piano performance during "The Black Silence". That the disparate elements flow so seamlessly from track to track attests to the duo's obvious attention to arrangement detail and overall songwriting acumen.

The difference between COLD NORTHERN VENGEANGE and some similarly ambitious acts is that the New Englanders are about much more than the mere creation of atmosphere for atmosphere's sake. Each note played is infinitely meaningful to the creation of the larger work, one that is inventive, yet hardly esoteric. COLD NORTHERN VENGEANCE may very well be the best-kept secret of the USBM scene. That is likely to change if the act continues to release albums like "Domination and Servitude".

Sleazegrinder Webzine (Sleaze)
I love the fact that this band is from New Hampshire, Boston's redneck cousin. You know, just yesterday, they had a 50 car pile-up on the highway up there, caused by a busload of boy scouts. Where's Bruce Willis when you need him? Anyway, this is the work of two dudes - Heathen and Gemini - from up yonder. It's ostensibly raw American black metal, but it's also got elements of vampy goth, early 80's underground metal, Type O Negative, and bummer-psyche, a mish-mash of odd elements tossed together in a razor-strewn schizo salad that also incorporates the odd sample and eerie sound effect to keep the weirdness flowing freely. Despite their best efforts to present an icy, disaffected atmosphere that should only appeal to hardcore Kult-ists, Domination and Servitude is actually very listenable, a consistently entertaining spookshow with a seemingly bottomless well of kitchen sink sounds. Who the fuck knows what any of it means, but if you're a fan of esoteric heavy music, than look to these snowy maniacs up north, for they are capable of strange and wondrous musicks.

Metal Maniacs (MetalGeorge Pacheco)
Proving that not all USBM acts are plagiaristic and/or worthless, New Hampshire’s Cold Northern Vengeance serve as the proverbial cog in the hype machine, effectively banishing both the Norsecore aping and bedroom BM self-service which seems to dominate the North American scene lately by simply taking deep care and time with their craft.

Sure, not every aspect of Dominance And Servitude is as tight or solid as it should be in the performance/arrangement department, but CNV’s sense of atmosphere and ethos—combined with a deathly serious martial aesthetic—leads me to believe that this duo (Heathen and Gemini) are most certainly The Real Deal™.

Case in point: the marked Neo-Folk influence on tracks such as “The Shores Of New England”, or “Heathen, Heretic, Scapegoat”, where shades of Death In June and Current 93 are flashed momentarily upon the band’s harsh black metal, like subliminal messages in a Rorschach test. CNV’s varied vocal attack—both filthy and clean—appeals this case, as well, with the band succeeding in hitting many different facets of blasphemy throughout the album’s hour-long playing time.

The more I listen to Dominance And Servitude, the more I like it. The guitars have a keen sense of mournful melody, all Satyricon one minute, and Oi the next, showcasing both Heathen and Gemini’s collective influences in spades. If solid USBM is your thing, and you’re sick of the hype-machine meat grinder consistently letting you down, Cold Northern Vengeance might be a breath of fresh/fetid air: a black metal band which actually sounds like a band. Perish the thought!

Aquarius Records
Although, from their not particularly atypical name and logo, you might expect just another business-as-usual Nordic black metal horde, corpsepainted and kvlt-y, this is NOT just another BM (or, USBM in their case as they hail from New Hampshire) band. Nosirree. We figured that out right away, when the vocals started up on "A Dangerous Wayfaring" and weren't a grim rasp, but rather a faux-British accented chorus. The more usual sort of guttural gruffness also soon appears, but CNV had piqued our interest, and we kept listening with curious anticipation that was quickly rewarded by this album's unexpected and unusual blend of underground black metal, goth rock, and industrial. Actually CNV also had our attention 'cause this comes from the same label, Bindrune, who last brought us Blood Of The Black Owl's A Feral Spirit, another unique and experimental metal offering.

This isn't quite as weird as that record, but this eclectic effort certainly captivates chaotically with majestically catchy riffage, Gobliny soundtrack synths, clean vocal singalongs, and even all-acoustic mellow moodiness ("The Shores Of New England"). Our favorite element though is what might be termed their Satanic industrial sound, with sampling and sequencing, the best example of which is "The By-Paths To Chaos", a rhythmic exercise in sinister, cut-and-paste percussive clockwork. Very cool. Hail Cold Northern Vengeance!!

Sea of Tranquility Webzine (Denis Brunelle)
One of the best things about being a writer, besides getting loads of promos directly in your mail box, is having the chance to listen and discover new and very talented bands. Out of nowhere comes this refreshing release from an American band that goes by the name of Cold Northern Vengeance.

This duo comprises Heathen (guitars, vocals, bass and keyboards) and Gemini (lead guitar, bass, Hammond Organ, piano and drums). Signed to Bindrune Recordings, where nothing is like everywhere else, Cold Northern Vengeance is much different from what you could have already heard from the US Black Metal scene. Don't expect anything like Azrael or Xasthur. Domination and Servitude makes references to Satanism in more than one instance, either from the cover, and overall artwork, or within the lyrics. Those are expressed by raspy growls, rough/clean voices, narration and the likes. The music to be heard on this disc is quite varied; something I personally really appreciate. As a whole, I could say that this release tends toward the Avant-gardist side of Black Metal, with a nice progressive edge. What surprised me though, in a good way, was the fact that Heathen and Gemini managed to add a folksy touch on top of it all, by including acoustic guitars. Two of my favorite compositions have this instrument: "The Shore of New England" and "Heathen, Heretic, Scapegoat". The intro, "Gnosis", is more of a ritual, with wicked narrative vocals. A catchier and chaotic "A Dangerous Wayfaring", follows right after. Track #3, "Hidden 93", has nice crushing guitars, haunted leads, a faster pace and we can hear wolves howling. Then comes "The Path to Chaos", a more experimental tune. I could go on and on, but by now you get the picture on how varied, and entertaining, this album is.