I am going to get the obvious out-of-the-way, “Desert Northern Hell” is THE definitive Norwegian black metal album, no question about it.
While Tsjuder may not have been (they split up shortly after this record was released) the most original band out there, they made an album that kicks ass. The guitars on this album have some of the best riffs (check out the opening riffs to Possessed and Lord of Swords) and definitely take a page out of older Darkthrone and even some Carpathian Forest.
The tempo changes are well done, going from brutally crushing to thrashy. The drums are primitive and have enough blast beats to satisfy any Marduk fan, and the vocals are just evil and nasty sounding. The songs change in length and structure, so it never sounds stale. one of the strongest tracks has to be Unholy Paragon, It starts out with an eerily quite and haunting guitar riff only to lead into a sonic assault that will leave you with a broken neck. the Bathory cover is worth checking out, but kind takes away from the rest of the album.
Make sure to download this BM masterpiece, I promise old Black Metal fans and newbies will enjoy this.
Download: Tsjuder “Desert Northern Hell”
