Review: Ulvehunger – Retaliation
“Retaliation” is an unrelenting dive into raw and punishing Norwegian black/death metal. Veteran musicians like Frost (Satyricon, 1349) and Anders Odden (Cadaver) bring credibility and experience to the table – but both only goes so far.
From the thunderous opener “Desecrator”, the album delivers unyielding blast beats, corrosive riffing, and guttural vocals. Atmospheric elements are sprinkled in, but rarely cohere into meaningful progression, making each track feellike a dense fog of sound rather than a structured journey. There are moments of groove emerge in tracks like “Sacrifice,” “Castle of Blood,” and “Forces of Doom,” these hook-laden sections fail to sustain momentum, the album never fully leans into them. The band knows how to write black metal songs, but never move from solid to excellent in execution.
Performance-wise, the veterans shine. Frost’s drumming is ferocious and precise; Odden’s guitar work cuts through, particularly in solos on “Sacrifice” and “Rise from the Shadows.” However, much of the songwriting relies on blunt force rather than variation. Despite polished production, dynamics suffer. Production clarity brings both strengths and weaknesses. The crisp mix highlights instrumental precision but also exposes a lack of emotional layering. The result is aggressive delivery that feels visually sharp but emotionally flat – like staring at a high-def landscape with no depth.
Thematically, the album leans into militaristic imagery and destruction, but offers little introspection or atmosphere to match the lyrical content. The sense of dread or ritual often evoked in standout black/ death metal is replaced here by straight-ahead aggression. Riffs churn and batter, but rarely evolve; song structures blur into one another. Even the occasional tempo change feels preordained, lacking any sense of surprise. Retaliation plays like a genre exercise—technically competent but emotionally cold, its fury never quite transforming into fire.
Retaliation is a testament to skilled execution within the brutal metal template – but it offers little that transcends. It’s a relentless array of riffs and intensity that lacks standout moments, shifting textures, or lingering themes of contrast. Fans looking for sheer sonic violence will find satisfaction; listeners seeking melodic hooks, dynamic arcs, or memorable breathing spaces will come away wanting.
