Black Medium Current is the sixth full-length album by Norwegian metal band Dødheimsgard, also known as DHG. It was released on April 14, 2023, by Peaceville Records.

Black Medium Current
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 14, 2023
Recorded2021–2022
StudioToproom Studios, Lunner, Norway
GenreAvant-garde metal, post-metal, experimental rock, black metal,[1] extreme metal, progressive metal[2]
Length69:35
LabelPeaceville Records
ProducerVicotnik
Dødheimsgard chronology
A Umbra Omega
(2015)
Black Medium Current
(2023)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net8.5/10[3]
Distorted Sound9/10[2]
Ghost Cult Magazine8/10[4]
Kerrang!4/5[5]
Metal Injection10/10[6]

Reception

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The album has received positive reviews. Invisible Oranges noted that the album has "the calm yet impassioned churning of specifically Norwegian black metal, overtly reminiscent of Bergtatt or Transilvanian Hunger. Yet as the lengthy phrases begin to unfurl and lengthen, and the vibrant being that is formed as Black Medium Current becomes more and more known, a sense of awe overcomes you as the challenge of understanding presents itself. The familiar references to yesteryear are the exchange for the amount of attention you'll need to fully consume this undertaking of a record."[7]

Kez Whelan of The Quietus stated in an article reviewing albums released that month, "Despite all these disparate influences, Black Medium Current as a whole feels more fluid and less cluttered than its predecessor – and whilst that chaotic feel was undoubtedly a big part of the last album's appeal, the more lucid, focussed[sic] approach here really works. If A Umbra Omega felt like the soundtrack to an astronaut's existential angst and encroaching madness upon leaving earth, this instead is the crystalline moment of clarity they might feel afterwards, taking in the sight of their planet nestled amongst the stars whilst revelling[sic] in the vast scope of the universe itself."[8]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Et smelter" ("A Melter")10:19
2."Tankespinnerens smerte" ("The Mind Spinner's Pain")7:43
3."Interstellar Nexus"8:01
4."It Does Not Follow"8:21
5."Voyager"1:46
6."Halow" ("Hello")9:37
7."Det tomme kalde mørke" ("The Empty Cold Darkness")7:35
8."Abyss Perihelion Transit"11:00
9."Requiem Aeternum" ("Eternal Rest")5:13

Personnel

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  • Vicotnik (Yusaf Parvez) – vocals, guitars, synthesizers, writing (on tracks 1-4, 6-8)
  • Thunberg - guitars
  • L.E. Måløy - bass, piano, cello, writing (on tracks 5, 9)
  • Myrvoll - drums

Additional personnel

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  • Sttng - flute (on track 1)

References

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  1. ^ Jens Nepper (March 28, 2023). "DØDHEIMSGARD unleash Black Medium Current". ramzine.co.uk. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "ALBUM REVIEW: Black Medium Current – Dødheimsgard". Distorted Sound. 18 April 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  3. ^ Dom Lawson (12 April 2023). "Reviews - Black Medium Current - BLABBERMOUTH.NET". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Dødheimsgard – Black Medium Current". Ghost Cult Magazine. 13 April 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  5. ^ "Album review: Dødheimsgard – Black Medium Current". Kerrang!. 14 April 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  6. ^ Jillian Drachman (April 14, 2023). "Album Review: DØDHEIMSGARD Black Medium Current". metalinjection.net. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Smasher, Ben (19 April 2023). "Familiar, Yet Revolutionary: Dødheimsgard Surges Forward on "Black Medium Current" (Review)". Invisible Oranges. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  8. ^ Whelan, Kez (2 May 2023). "Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal For May Reviewed By Kez Whelan". The Quietus. Retrieved 23 July 2023.