Band of the week 03/2026
Origin: Northern Bavaria, Germany
Genre: Black Metal
Hier geht’s zur deutschen Version.
The band about itself:
“From the beginning, the basic idea was to create music that tied in with the black metal of the 1990s in Norway: the magical sound of Emperor, the coldness of Darkthrone, the playfulness and at the same time raw energy inherent in this music […].”
Editorial commentary:
In the swamp of the Black Metal, most bands sink into mediocrity, and only rarely do groups actually manage to stand out with either innovation or special dedication to the well-known and -loved. The band we would like to introduce to you today is one that belongs to the second category. De Som Skjelver has already been around since 2013, and material has been compiled, but it took until the end of last year for it to actually be recorded and released. With their self-titled debut, the musicians have managed to create a diverse album that, from a songwriting perspective, doesn’t necessarily shine through innovation or the proverbial reinvention of the wheel, but rather through a successful, atmospheric blend of various influences from 90s black metal. In this sense, they live up to their own grand words, because the sound and atmosphere in particular have the potential to thrill every fan of this genre, while also drawing them into a musical sphere that couldn’t be more fitting for the current times.
The writer must be honest: the production seems a little too smooth for this claim. Far from being too ‘modern’ in sound, an even rougher, dirtier production would certainly have done the album good. What sounds like a criticism should not be perceived entirely as such. An atmosphere like the one created by De Som Skjelver thrives on the right sound. And that’s something that takes time to achieve. In addition to the obviously strong instrumentalists, who are well versed in the genre, it is the vocals in particular that play a major role in the mood of the album and thus also help to hold together this diverse and varied release. Fans of the local scene will recognise them as those of Fürth band Cyanide, who also took their time to finally release their collected works on an album after a demo and live performances. In general, there are some parallels between the bands in some parts. This is not negative, as it does not detract from De Som Skjelver’s originality, but rather positive if you like Cyanide’s music (here, we would like to refer to the 2018 demo Zwillingsmord: only three songs, but Christ, this stuff is great).
Long story short: anyone who likes 90s black metal… no, anyone who likes black metal in general or even remotely, should give this a listen. The album really makes an impression and shows once again that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to contribute good, new music to this genre. One last note: maybe there will be a second album at some point, maybe not. ‘It’s not always necessary’, to quote the band themselves. If only more bands were (or had been) so wise…
De Som Skjelver (Full Album):
Links:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
Spotify
Band of the week is our weekly posting about a band we recommend and is posted every Tuesday at 8pm (CET). These are bands that are just at the beginning of their career and that we think should receive more attention.
You can also find all the bands we’ve featured this year in our playlist on Spotify!
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