Carpathian Forest

Although they didn't really become well-known on the international scene until the later 90s, and therefore are not always associated with the initial wave of 90s Norwegian black metal, CARPATHIAN FOREST has been around in one form or another since 1990. From near the city of Kristiansand, they got their start under the name Enthrone, playing a primitive brand of extreme metal that owed a lot to the black and death metal of the 1980s.

Here is Enthrone's Black Winds demo in its entirety

Founded by Nattefrost and Nordavind (who initially went by different pseudonyms) Enthrone managed to self-release one demo, Black Winds, in 1991. By 1992, they had changed their name to Carpathian Forest and recruited Damnatus and Lord Blackmangler to round out the band (near as I can tell, these two didn't do much else in the Norwegian metal scene). During this time period, members of the band had also become involved in some of the happenings surrounding Norway's elite Inner Circle of black metal. But the real turning point of this era of the band's existence was their 1992 demo, Bloodlust and Perversion.

This is the title track from Bloodlust and Perversion

A true gem of early 90s Norwegian black metal, Bloodlust and Perversion has taken its place among other classic black metal demos (right up there with Emperor's Wrath of the Tyrant and Satyricon's The Forest is My Throne). It had a dark, old school sound that had less of the necro, trebly guitar associated with early 90s black metal and more of an almost death metal feel to it. It is raw and brutal while remaining true to the black metal ethos.

This demo--and its 1993 successor, Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern--made Carpathian Forest a key addition to the swelling ranks of Norway's black metal elite. But it still took them a while to release their debut album. They signed with Italian label Avantgarde Music and recorded their debut, 1995's Through Chasm, Caves, and Titan Woods.

"The Pale Mist Hovers Toward the Nightly Shores" is probably my all-time favorite Carpathian Forest track

Through Chasm..., although only an EP and not a full-length release, is a solid entry into the Norwegian black metal canon. In addition to solid riffing that draws on Norwegian masters like Burzum, Mayhem, and Darkthrone, the songs on Through Chasm... also have a bit of a black-thrash aura to them. One thing that also set CF apart from many of the early Norwegian masters was that they managed to incorporate dark synth playing without taking the full symphonic black metal plunge.

Not the most active of bands when it came to interacting with the media, CF didn't give interviews during these years (word is that Nordavind was opposed to it). So it appeared to many that the band was inactive while they were really just laying low, writing music. They finally broke their silence with their first full-length studio album, 1998's Black Shining Leather.

This is the title track from Black Shining Leather

A fantastic album, Black Shining Leather continues the raw, thrash-influenced style of Chasm but in a more mature way. Additionally, the production was heartier, more robust, with a stronger sound in the bass. That being said, this was still a solid offering that fit squarely in the Norwegian pantheon of classic black metal albums.

Around this time period, founding member Nordavind left Carpathian Forest over differences of opinion with Nattefrost. Nordavind wanted to maintain an elitist, underground ethos: no interviews, no live shows, etc. But Nattefrost wanted the band to grow and build off of the momentum set in motion by the release of Black Shining Leather.

"Mask of the Slave"is from 2000's Strange Old Brew

Carpathian Forest--without Nordavind in the roster--then went on to do something often unheard of in metal: they recorded two albums at the same time. The first of these albums, Strange Old Brew, contained songs written in the early nineties and was released in late 2000. The second of these albums, Morbid Fascination of Death, contained material written after the recordings of Black Shining Leather and was released in early 2001.

Here is the title track from 2001's Morbid Fascination of Death

Both of these albums showed Carpathian Forest at their most sinister. The raw, evil sound of their earlier work was present, and the influence of old-school thrash metal was clear as day. Some songs even had an almost Hellhammer/Celtic Frost vibe to them---which makes sense, given that CF has long cited those Swiss maniacs as an influence.

Since those albums, Carpathian Forest has never let up. In a day and age where most of the old-school Norwegian black metal masters have evolved beyond traditional black metal, or called it quits, CF can be counted on to keep flying the flag for true black metal.

Select Discography:

Bloodlust and Perversion (demo) (1992)

Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern (demo) (1993)

Through Chasm, Caves, and Titan Wood EP (1995)

Black Shining Leather (full-length album) (1998)

Strange Old Brew (full-length album) (2000)

Morbid Fascination of Death (full-length album) (2001)
Live at Inferno (live album) (2001)
Defending the Throne of Evil (full-length album) (2003)
Fuck You All!!!! - Caput Tuum in Ano Est (full-length album) (2006)

Next time: BLACK CRUCIFIXION