Inferno 2014 – Label Night With Indie Recordings

Inferno 2014 has started, and the first night – the club night – is over. I spent the night at John Dee, where Indie Recordings presented three of their bands. Norwegian Kampfar, 20 year veterans of the black metal scene, Finnish Woland and the Norwegian band Glittertind. An eclectic mix, and a great night. (Picture above: Dolk from Kampfar)

Woland

Indie Recordings and their sister company Indie Distribution is a Norwegian record company and also label management for a lot of independent record companies, with a focus on metal. They have helped many Norwegian metal bands on their way to become big names, and they have a passion combined with professional know how about what they do.

Glittertind

The three bands that played at John Dee last night represented the variety of Indie Recordings’ repertoire. Two of the bands are placed solidly in the metal style, although in different parts of it, while the third band is hardly a metal band at all.

Kampfar are veterans in Norwegian black metal. They have played together for 20 years, and have experienced a deserved and renewed interest, and more fans the last years. Their latest CD, Djevelmakt was released this year. Kampfar’s live show is centered upon their charismatic singer, Dolk, and their popularity showed in that the venue was packed with a line outside when they started their show.

Woland from Finland was a new band to me. Their style is described as more futuristic than many of their colleagues, with a look to a Nietzchean future that they welcome with open arms. Their music is more melodious than Kampfar’s, and they flirt with other musical inspirations, like sympho and prog rock. I liked their show, and again the singer, W, was very much in focus.

The last band of the night, Glittertind, is more a folk rock band than a metal band. Their philosophical center is also existential, but takes more from panteism and the viking asatro than from Christianity. Glittertind’s music is great live, while their CD Djevelsvart (Devil’s Black) has a sound that also works well on mainstream radio NRK P1. I have never seen them live before, and I liked what I saw, in a way they reminded me of the 70’s Norwegian band Folque.

Kampfar