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Nidrike - there's another one from Sweden, this one here comprises members of Vanmakt and Skald - present with this debut some solid, raw Black Metal.  There's nothing polished here:  It's chaotic, bleak, dark, sometimes downright evil-sounding, sometimes showcasing a little horror-like atmosphere.  There's nothing "pretty" about this, with the only "non-metal" instrument being a piano, which brings in some passages that could have been lifted off some suspense-filled horror movie from the good old days.  The music is mid to fast-paced, but no matter the pace, the listener runs into a sonic barrage of thunderous, pounding drums and guitars that are all over the place - sometimes a little discreet, even muffled (not sure if that was intended), while at other times taking the front line with some vicious surgical riffage and even occasionally giving in to a more melodic form (but in a dark and depressingly bleak way.)  Bottom line, this is quite loaded sonically. The vocals are quite striking, Gjallar delivering a variety of vocal styles that go from sick to sicker - rasps, growls, and some screams that sound so cavernous they're downright chilling at times.  No matter what style he's using, the effect is always a perfect match for the music, adding even more darkness and sickness to an atmosphere that didn't even need the help in the first place.  Excellent stuff.

As you've probably guessed by now, Blodsarv is not for those into the more "artsy" forms of Black Metal, but rather for those into the raw, minimalistic (but not too much), sick-sounding, dark and evil form of the genre.  This is the kind of stuff that'll send the neighbours running for their lives without locking the door on the way out.  A very good debut for Nidrike which sets the bar high for their next output.