(Black Metal) [CD] Ildjarn - Son Of The Northstar (EP) - 2001, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

What a weird little EP we have here... originally intended to be released in 1995, this compilation of assorted Ildjarn brutal oddities had to wait until 2001 to see the light of the Northstar, with all its material composed and recorded between 1992 and 1994 (thus dating back to the project's early days).
It is very apparent, however, that the five tracks weren't conceived during the same period, as the differences of sounds and moods explain better than words.
The first two songs are the only ones to feature vocals, provided by none less than Emperor frontman Ihsahn, who helped his old bandmate (Ildjarn was part of Thou Shalt Suffer) in his early recordings. "Kronet" is a typical fast paced Ildjarn song, packed with monotone drum beats, straightforward aggressive riffs and screams of anger and hate. Predictably, Ihsahn sounds fairly similar to EP / "In The Nightside Eclipse" era Emperor, although the quality of the sound and the use of the Norwegian language inevitably give a different impression. Speaking of sound, since Ildjarn is known for having maybe the worst production in the whole Black Metal panorama, these songs sound harsh but not too fuzzy, and it's possible to hear the riffs very well even though the vocals have a loud reverb and the drums sound like cardboard pads.
"Fjerde Dag" is slower in comparison, with a even more square rhythm and vague Burzum-like echoes, especially in the use of the bass which plays the fifth rather than the root note most of the time. The acceleration at the end, underlined by insane screams, is very nice and almost cathartic after all the repetitiveness.
The rest of the material seems to consist of demos or unfinished recordings, and is totally instrumental. "Miinesjord" is the worst sounding track here, with its awful distortion effect and pot and pan drum sound (probably a drum machine... and no cymbals at all). It doesn't last for long, though; actually less than a minute!
"Mot Kveld" is slightly more developed and definitely has a nicer sound; the drum machine here isn't as irritating as on the previous track an dthe riffs are more interesting too.
"Hafsval" finishes the record with an extra dose of crude riffs and droning beats in typical Ildjarn vein.
In short, this release is definitely interesting for Ildjarn fanatics, while not exactly the best introduction for anyone willing to explore the artist's sound. It stands on its own rather well, though, for being a compilation of varied aural desecrations.
I have one last major complaint, though, even if it doesn't really affect the rating... the packaging of this cd plain SUCKS. The "booklet" is just a sheet (not even perfectly sized) printed on ONE side (the cover, and that's it); the Ildjarn logo on the front is extremely pixelated and the back cover, although displaying a nice northern landscape picture with a lake, doesn't even have the title of the cd written on the sides (so if you have it on a shelf you have to pull it out to understand what it is). Such a presentation wouldn't be too good for a bootleg, and this is a an official releases! Yes, this definitely looks worse than it sounds. Try harder next time, FMP.

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