ninehertz

Sneglefeber’s self-titled release was a surprise entry on to our albums of 2020 list, with its mastery of drawn-out doom and sludge making such an impression it is still revisited here from time to time. It is exciting to find their belated return on Vinyl Troll Records.

Ormekulten Gryr is of the same quality across its four tracks – the shortest of which still easily passes eight minutes. The first track Wormcult (the English translation of Ormekulten) brings you back into their world of laboriously mammothian doom. Evil vocals barely make their way through the mists; it is almost black metal in delivery but at a slower than trudging pace. The lack of any tempo builds a pressure that starts to clog your mind as you listen – it is doom taken towards its extreme.

Halfway through it changes subtly, the guitars fluttering in the depths, a wonderful evolution offering the merest light in the caverns to which we have been descended. Even here there is no expansion in the pacing. How they hold such weight in such restraint for so long is incredible. It will possibly alienate some listeners, but for anyone seeking the thrills of doom at the logical end-point fringe, it is perfect.

In similar approaches, there can be a tail off after the first track as band’s then simply repeat the formula with little distinction, but Sneglefeber avoid this trap, bringing variance and a unique identity to each song. Take Probiotic Nightmare, which cranks up for a couple of minutes before it practically falls over itself in doom lethargy, allowing the atmosphere to turn funereal. Or the closer Omni Terminal, which is surprisingly gentle and melodic, an early morning calm for the majority, save for evil creature mimicking whispered vocals and the occasional lapse into doom that still fails to totally blacken the mood.

There’s a something of the mystical, arcane charms of Rwake here, an unexpected change up that feels almost emotional by its end. It brings variety that bolsters the album, turns it from good to great in its final breath. Sneglefeber have delivered a superb doom album once more.