The second full-length album from blatantly satanic Norwegian duo Throne of Katarsis is perfect for those who like their black metal straight up. Recalling old school classics from bands like Burzum and Darkthrone, HELVETE DET ISKALDE MORKET uses scouring storms of guitar and pummeling drums to conjure up an evil sound devoid of melody. Massive in their sound and execution, songs like "The Darkest Path" and "The Winds of Blasphemy Have Returned" offer no mercy or compromise. For every Norwegian band that has branched out with keyboards and operatic structures, there is one like this that prefers to dwell in the underbelly.

Believe it or not, there was a time when the metal and punk audiences hated one another. That was back in the late '70s. But from the 1980s on, punk has been a huge influence on a wide variety of metal, including thrash metal, alternative metal, industrial metal, rap-metal, death metal, and metalcore. And black metal also owes punk a major debt of gratitude; the black metal pioneers of the late '80s and early '90s really identified with punk's garage-like rawness. Throne of Katarsis set out to emulate that spirit of rawness on their 2007 debut, An Eternal Dark Horizon, and they continue in that vein on their second album, Helvete: Det Iskalde Morket. It's obvious that these Norwegians still aren't the least bit interested in playing symphonic black metal or folk-metal -- not at all. Throne of Katarsis continue to identify with the tough, rugged, punk-minded grit of black metal's pioneers, and that fondness for the black metal bands of the late '80s and early '90s is evident on forceful, occult-obsessed items like "Summoning the Horns," "The Wings of Blasphemy," and "The Darkest Path." In contrast to the symphonic black metal and folk-metal bands that have done their part to broaden black metal's horizons, Throne of Katarsis don't pretend to be expansive; instead of running away from the limitations of this approach, they celebrate those limitations. Helvete: Det Iskalde Morket isn't a remarkable album, but it is a worthwhile album -- and black metal purists who appreciated the rawness of An Eternal Dark Horizon will be glad to know that Throne of Katarsis keep things equally raw on Helvete: Det Iskalde Morket. ~ Alex Henderson