Panphage

Panphage - Jord
Nordvis Produktion, 2018
Genre: Black Metal

1. Odalmarkerna
2. Måtte dessa bygder brinna
3. Ygg (En visa om julen)
4. Skadinawjo
5. Den tyste åsen
6. Som man sår får man skörda
7. Osådda skal åkrarna växa (Outro)








2018 started of with a band with the announcement that Panphage was unleashing a new album. After how incredible "Drengskapr" was, I assumed "Jord" would be, yet another, spectacular addition to their discography. However, the excitement didn't last as long as I would have liked, because this announcement also heralded the end of the project. "Jord" is to be the last chapter in the Panphage journey. Part of me feels like Panphage hasn't been around long enough, but this project has been active for over a decade now, so perhaps Fjällbrandt wants to challenge himself with a different project. Or this album is just the pinnacle of the Panphage sound and he wouldn't want to try to exceed it.

Either way "Jord" is quite the force to be reckoned with. This is certainly wind up in the top ten this year, it would really take an awful lot to push this record aside. "Jord" takes all the wonderful writing we found on "Drengskapr" and somehow just enhances that experience. It's dark, it's folky, it's somber, it's atmospheric all at once. It's a veritable assault on the senses and encompasses a lot of areas I love about Black Metal in a single project. The impressive thing about Panphage is that none of this work feels disjointed and instead is just seamlessly executed on "Jord". The project has come quite far from the first demo tape, which is hardly worth the experience... and ends on such a well composed high note that it still leaves us craving for more.

"Jord" is an immense swan song of an album and it's basically everything we've ever wanted out of a Panphage album. I sort of hold out hope that in a few years the project will get resurrected if more inspiration comes along. However, at the same time, it's also a very good idea to leave a project ending on a high note. "Jord" is a killer close to an era and an absolute must hear as far as I'm concerned.

Panphage - Drengskapr
Nordvis Produktion, 2016
Genre: Black Metal

1. Gettir Àsmundarson
2. Landrensningen
3. Glam rider husen
4. Glamsyn
5. Utlagr
6. Drangey
7. Blodshämd







It's only been a year since the first debut "Storm" came out, but I feel a lot has changed in the Panphage camp. There's just been some extreme refinement in the song writing and it hit around the split with Thul. This is also one of the first Panphage releases to to be published on CD, aside from the compilation earlier in 2016. With this change comes a label change as well and Nordvis has put together a really nice digipak design, which I've come to expect from the label. They always do an excellent job supporting and artists musical and art directions. Panphage has always favored simplicity, but there's a track by track explanation of the story that inspired the song.

"Drengskapr" feels more hyper focused on striking that chord between folk and Black Metal, which makes this feel like even more of an advancement of the early Arckanum sound to me. The primitive nature of everything just seems so reminiscent to those early albums I still listen to quite often today. Now, Panphage isn't a rip-off by any means, they're doing a lot of different stuff, but it still hits that similar atmosphere for me. Panphage just escalate it and take things to an entirely new level for me. Where Arckanum went more the meditative/droning route, Panphage went the upbeat/catchy route. However, Panphage still manages to remain with a dark atmosphere for the most part. The folkier lead guitar licks are certainly more upbeat, but it's usually performed amidst more sorrowful segments. You'll even hear touches of ambience underlying the song, giving that droning touch to the songs a little bit. One of the more brilliant things that happened on this album is "Glamsyn", which is this clean guitar segment with absolutely loads of reverb/delay. It's a wonderfully haunting track and when it first shows up you think that's all it is. Perhaps this is a bit of musical foreshadowing, because when we get to "Blodshämd" we find this is the main riff of the song, in all its glory of heavily distorted guitars.

"Drengskapr" is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums out there. It will easily hit the top ten for 2016, that's for sure. If you've been following Panphage for a while, then this album is a real stand out effort in their discography. This is by far the ultimate starting point to delve into this project and I can't imagine people being disappointed. Even though the production is more on the raw side, everything is still pretty easy to hear and in this case it really adds to the overall atmosphere of the album. That raw natural grit is simply perfect for music like this!

Panphage - Genom Konst & Krig
Ætergap Productions, 2016
Genre: Black Metal

Disc 1:
Jotunmodi:
1. Thul: Bloteld
2. Utgårdahovet
3. Muspel
4. Urthurs
5. Jotunmodi
6. Thursamodir
Ætt Loka:
7. Thule: Offergap
8. Olios
9. Likrå
10. Ormblot
11. Thriggia Thursa Fadir
12. Urthurs Pt. II
Ursvöl:
13. Thule: Maran
14. Skall & Skalv
15. Svartinånfödda yngel
16. A Haugi
17. Ursvöl
18. Illa Sett (Glum cover)

Disc 2:
Gradr Nedan:
1. Thul: Hämnaren
2. Dögun i undirheimum
3. Thrudmodgi Iotunn
4. Under Sotröda Vingar
5. Sökkdalir
6. Gradr
7. Lemlästad & i Snö Förborgad
8. Nedan
Nordlandets Dödsande:
9. Thul: en Objuden Gäst
10. Nordlandets Dödsande
11. Svarta Vågor
12. Kynjamein
13. Fredlös
14. Livlös
15. Thul: Hlidskjalf

This is an extremely impressive re-release of all the material released under the Ætergap banner. This collects all the previous demo tapes plus "Jotunmodi". The only material it doesn't include is the material released on Satanic Propaganda in the very early years. Based on the very first demo tape I own, I can see why this early material wouldn't fit into what Panphage eventually became. However, starting with "Jotunmodi" makes some sense because it's where the writing took a far more serious turn as far as I can tell.

If you missed out on the relevant prior tapes then this is a must own collection of material. It comes in a beautiful A5 digibook packaging. In addition to all of the music collected under one banner there are newly composed intros by Thul, which is the Ambient side of Panphage. We heard this on the last tape "Ginnheilagr". The Ambient material newly designed for this release is similar in feel as what we heard on the previous tape. However, it's more infrequent, so it stands out more solidly to me. I think having every other track of Ambient is what made that a more challenging release. Luckily that problem doesn't occur on here. The material has gone through some slight re-mastering to bring everything together more coherently. So, this is a slightly improved listen if you also have the original tapes.

Inside the digibook you'll find the two CD's that span the collection and a booklet (also A5) glued to the inside cover. I usually prefer my booklets being entirely separate from the packaging, but we don't get much of a choice here. The booklet is actually really well done. Inside there is commentary on each tape release on what was being used for inspiration. There is also a song or two where the lyrics are published for each tape release. They don't have all the lyrics published, which was slightly disappointing, but having a couple songs that were meaningful to the creator are always nice to read through.

If you're a Panphage fan I would consider this a must have. A lot of the material on those tapes is really well made, especially the last two tapes. Truly excellent and inspiring material. I'm glad they were able to give the material the light of day in this format for those that couldn't track down the original tape releases.

Panphage & Þul - Ginnheilagr
Ætergap Productions, 2015

Genre: Black Metal/Ambient

1. Þul - Canis
2. Panphage - Konungr/Lopt
3. Þul - Lynx
4. Panphage - Släkten solen ser i åkrar sjunka ned
5. Þul - Ursus
6. Panphage - Ginnheilug goð
7. Þul - Ginnheilagr









This split tape would be hard to review if you split up the releases. Basically this is a split between Black Metal and Ambient, which have always crossed paths, essentially, since both genres have existed. The way they've formatted this release the Ambient of Þul is intertwined with the Black Metal of Panphage as they alternate tracks on this release. I believe this tape was limited to 300 copies and it comes with a pro-printed booklet and stickers on the cassette itself.

The Þul material somewhat outweighs the Panphage material, but that's probably because these Ambient pieces serve as an intro and outro the album as a whole. The Ambient pieces retain that meditative quality that you expect from Ambient, but it also has a more primitive old world sort of atmosphere and edge to them. A lot of this is generated through the sheer simplicity of it and the more organic and natural feel of some of the instruments, even if they were digitally re-created. At times it reminds me a bit of the tracks created by Rajna, since they used a lot of authentic old instruments.

Now, the Panphage material is some of the finest Panphage material ever created and it's almost a real shame that we only get four songs out of this release. The first song "Konungr/Lopt" is by far my favorite Panphage song ever created. It's a track I can listen to over and over again with that overly catchy opening lick just instantly pulling us in. Sometimes when a track this good appears on a release it tends to overshadow the other songs on here. Luckily this doesn't happen to much on this release. While "Lopt" is, no doubt, the strongest track the other two Panphage tracks really hold their own quite well too. Every song has incredibly ear-catching riffing and an atmosphere that is just perfect for the project.

As with the other Panphage tapes, this release was later pressed to CD. Similar to the other releases this was pressed by Nordvis in 2017 and it features a new booklet with different artwork. It also features lyrics for two of the songs, but, sadly, it does not have my favorite one.

If you are a Panphage fan then this split is an absolutely must hear experience. If you're turned off by the ambient, at least with the CD edition you can skip all that stuff now... but it probably does take away from the overall intended experience. Either way, all three Panphage tracks are really well done.

Panphage/Jarnvidr - Gøthalandom
Ætergap Production, 2015

Genre: Black Metal

Panphage:
1. Söner av Orsämjans Länder
2. Hagalaz Automat
3. Black Dawn Guerilla
4. Tag till Vapen
5. Gøthalandom
Jarnvidr:
6. Helveteseld Faller från Himmelen
7. Hagelstorm
8. Klockringing i Dalen och Åkallan av Makterna
9. Det Svarta Vattnets Gåva

Side Jarnvidr: ...coming eventually...
Side Panphage:

Unlike the "Storm" album, the material composed on this split was actually written in 2015. So, it's nice to see Fjällbrandt returning to writing for this project again. He seems to go through massive creative bursts with this project that span years, but then it tapers off, then a few years later returns with more material. This also seems to be one of the first CD's released by Ætergap Productions, but like the tapes this is limited to 300 copies as well. It comes as a beautiful digipak with additional booklet inside. The booklet has pictures and art for both projects as well as liner notes.

Even though there is some decent time in between the recorded material of "Storm" and this, the material on this split basically picks up where "Storm" leaves off. In some respects I feel like this material is a bit more primitive in style and recording, but still maintains that solid blend of Black Metal and folk-ish style. "Black Dawn Guerrilla" is, by far, one of the catchier songs from Panphage ever written. The whole concept of this material is dedicated to the Westrogothian men from the 1400's who fought the nobility. As usual with Panphage, the songs are very well written and have that atmosphere that has been ever present on their earlier recordings.

Panphage - Storm
Ætergap Production, 2015

Genre: Black Metal

1. Lugnet
2. Storm
3. Vid Kusten
4. Sävgetens Folk
5. Frusna Varsel
6. Hemmavid
7. Förfäder
8. Fenomen








It's been quite a while since Panphage has put out material after producing something consistently every year. However, after such a long wait they return with their debut full-length album after existing for ten years. The material was composed between 2011 and 2012, but between 2013 and 2015 it was finally cut to tape. This tape is limited to 300 copies and comes in some excellent packaging. The tape comes in a velvet bag with the tape inside and a scroll of paper. The tape is housed in a simple slipcase with the above featured cover. The scroll features a thank you and liner notes as well as a track by track explanation behind each songs motivation. Overall a very special product to commemorate these ten years of Panphage.

I was a little late to the Panphage game and I believe "Storm" was actually my first experience with the project, which prompted me to track down everything I could find.  Since this music was composed so closely to "Nordlandets Dödsande", "Storm" is certainly similar, but there's a certain level of refinement in the writing on "Storm" that I feel pushes the Panphage ideology even further. I think this is where Panphage truly solidified its sound and simply ran with it. There's nothing out there that quite sounds exactly like this, the combination of rawness, hatred, and traditional themes reminds me quite a bit of what Arckanum is famous for. However, Panphage builds on what Arckanum has done before and adds in more and more layers that make for an even more exciting listen, in my opinion. The manner in which the catchier sections are composed has a lot more force behind them than in a lot of other projects I've listened to and at the same time Panphage manages to construct this timeless atmosphere that is somewhat modern, but feels like it hearkens back to the days of old.

Now if you had the misfortune of missing out on the original tape release, "Storm" was finally re-released on CD by Nordvis Produktion in 2017. They produced a beautiful multi-panel digipak edition for us. It features new artwork and the lyrics to two of the songs on the album. I assume the two songs chosen have more meaning for Fjällbrandt, or they convey more of what he wants for the Panphage project. I doubt the material was remastered, but music, even more raw Black Metal, is recorded on computers these days, so cutting the digital extract onto CD probably maintains the full sound a lot more. So, "Storm" feels a lot more loud and full compared to the original tape as far as I can tell.

Every time I listen to a Panphage recording, I feel inspired. There's something about Panphage that feels triumphant amidst all the disdain and hatred for the modern world and modern man. I hope with the release of "Storm" we'll have a steady wave of releases of this nature. At least that's what I was hoping back when I first heard this release and I certainly got my wish... can't wait for the next installment!

Panphage - Nordlandets Dödsande
Ætergap Production, 2011

Genre: Black Metal

1. Nordlandets dödsande
2. Kynjamein
3. Svarta vågor
4. Fredlös
5. Livlös











A mere few months since the last release and we already have a new Panphage tape ready to go! After the last release I was really excited to hear what "Nordlandets Dödsande" would bring us. As with before, it's released on cassette with a pro-printed tape and booklet. This time all the lyrics are published for us to read...and for those of us who understand Swedish, which is not me.

Now, "Nordlandets Dödsande" is a good and solid release, but it just doesn't have the same level of magic for me that "Gráðr Neðan" possessed. There's just something in the writing on that release that was immense and "Nordlandets Dödsande" feels more like a return to the earlier release style. Which is great stuff, but doesn't hit as hard. "Nordlandets Dödslande", while being in the vein of Raw Black Metal, has a decidedly more upbeat approach to all the songwriting. This is probably an attempt to incorporate the "happier" sounding folk melodies, whereas before he would usually choose more triumphant of darker styles. "Nordlandets Dödsande" still has that quality triumphant sound, it's just painted in a more positive light this time around, but it still manages to remain in the realms of raw and grim. A lot of the material is still making me think of projects like Arckanum quite a bit.

In the end, even though I didn't like this as much as the prior release, it's still very good material. The experiment he delved into felt like a faster version of Storm at times, so it had a lot more emphasis on Folk aspects. Even though he will change up the sound and approach of the project from time to time, I still look forward to what's to come, because even though there have been slight changes here and there, all the material is still quite good at the end of the day.

Panphage - Gráðr Neðan
Ætergap Production, 2011
Genre: Black Metal

1. Dögun í undirheimum
2. þrudmoþgi iotunn
3. Under sotröda vingar
4. Sökkdalir
5. Gráðr
6. Lemlästad & i snö förborgad
7. Neðan









Another year and another Panphage tape. This one really pushes the envelope from "Ursvöl" in a truly excellent direction. As before this is released on cassette with a pro-booklet and pro-tape. The booklet is a really nice multi-panel booklet with the lyrics to a few songs written out.

Gráðr Neðan is a far more expansive journey than the previous releases, mainly due to the fact that it simply has more tracks. However, the musical composition feels a lot more mature and well thought out. This release marries the Black Metal atmosphere with some excellent Thrash and Folk moments to really hook us in like never before. Every song is wonderfully crafted. For me, "Gráðr Neðan" is where Panphage took a turn artistically into something of a higher quality project. There aren't any songs that stand in the background, and I daresay there aren't even any filler riffs. Everything feels attention grabbing, and maybe that's one of the reasons I feel like this release is much more intense than the others.

When a band finally hits this caliber of composition I want them to stop making these shorter releases and put out a full length. So, hopefully Panphage will be heading in that direction soon. However, if you're first delving into the world of Panphage, while the prior releases are pretty good, this is where the material starts to grow far beyond the original material, so starting here is a good spot.

Panphage - Ursvöl
Ætergap Production, 2010
Genre: Black Metal

1. Skall & Skalv
2. Svartmånfödda Yngel
3. A Haugi
4. Ursvöl
5. Illa Sett (Glum cover)











Another year yields, yet another tape, from Panphage. Given the constant improvement of the project I was certainly looking forward to new material. As with the other tapes on this label the cover is pro-printed and is limited to 300 copies.

"Ursvöl" isn't as heavy in style compared to the prior release. It's probably closer to the material we heard on the "Jotunmodi" release. Rather than heaviness, this album creates a generally darker atmosphere overall. However, those catchier guitar licks and riffs that have become a staple of the Panphage sound are still ever present throughout the release. "Skall & Skalv" is clear demonstration of this. This material feels even more infused with Black Metal, and for some reason I keep coming back to Arckanum whenever I hear Panphage material like this. Although, "Ursvöl" seems like it is more influenced by the more melodic styled Black Metal bands out there. At times hear early Enslaved and early Einherjer in their sound a bit as well, but this is probably due to the dose of folk style meshed into the sound.

I quite prefer the style on "Ursvöl" a bit more than the last tape. It has more of the atmosphere I am looking for in my music. Either way this is, yet another, great Panphage release and I look forward to whatever comes next. Since, I'm sure there will be another tape for us in the following year!

Panphage - Ætt Loka

Ætergap Production, 2009

Genre: Black Metal

1. Olios

2. Likrå

3. Ormblot

4. Thriggia Thursa Fadir

5. Urthurs Pt. II

A year after Panphage's foray into the digital world they swiftly returned to tape releases. This time on a new label for Panphage. This comes with a pro-printed cover and is limited to 300 copies. "Ætt Loka" builds on "Jotunmodi," but also experiments with different elements than before.

This release winds up being a much heavier release than "Jotunmodi". Those catchy riffs built on the back of more folk elements are still ever present in the sound, of course, but he's upped the general intensity and heaviness this time around. Here you'll find a lot more palm muting riffs than before, but Panphage manage to keep everything sounding like they're mainly in the Black Metal realm for writing this material. The songwriting is much improved as well and everything feels a lot more cohesive in the grand scheme of things. It feels more like he wrote an "album" than a collection of songs that sort of fit thematically. I also appreciated "Likrå" a lot, because it has a similar idea to the closing track of "Jotunmodi", but this time I feel like everything fit together better. Unfortunately, the main riff on "Thursamodir" fit with the female vocals even better. The other strange thing you'll here is the experimentation with some more dissonant riffing a few times in this album. Just listen to the opening of "Ormblot", I would expect that more from a Blut aus Nord release.

I think the only major complaint I can level at this is I feel like atmosphere has been sacrificed for heaviness. Which was probably the intended goal given how it is persistent throughout the whole release. However, I enjoy the stronger songwriting this time around and it maintains enough of that groove from the prior album to keep my attention and enjoyment through the release. Again, looking forward to even more of this, because it sounds like the material is getting even stronger. Maybe he'll find a good balance between heaviness, atmosphere, and catchiness on future material.

Panphage - Jotunmodi

Self-Released, 2008

Genre: Black Metal

1. Utgårdalhovet

2. Muspel

3. Urthurs

4. Jotunmodi

5. Thursamodir

Unfortunately I have never heard the Panphage material prior to this release, except for the very first tape. After a string of demo tapes released on Satanic Propaganda Panphage turned to the digital market and self-released this material onto the internet. It doesn't have any kind of cover associated with it, which is disappointing. However, I did read that "Jotunmodi" is quite different from the earlier demos and this is where the Panphage legacy really begins in sound and motivation.

"Jotunmodi" is a really cool demo with some good ideas and experimentation of the newer Panphage sound, there's also some ideas that don't work out as well, but for the most part it works. All the songs feel heavily rooted in an Arckanum style and recording approach to the music. There's also a fair dose of a folk feel injected into the music, so it feels reminiscent of the older days of Viking Metal at times. This adds an interesting groove to the Arckanum style. I think Fjällbrandt is still sorting out the particulars of composing Panphage material. He has some chuggier guitar moments that don't fit with some of the groovier sections. Then in "Jotunmodi" there's this random shred solo that immediately kills all hope for atmosphere. "Thursamodir" is one of the best and one of the worst tracks on this. It has this immense atmospheric riff and when the female vocals kick in over it, it's absolutely spectacular. But his bridges and some of the other riffs thrown in here pull us out of that amazing atmosphere he was building. It really is too bad, because this could have been one of the best Panphage songs ever composed... I almost wish he would revisit this song and re-work it a little bit. In light of that, the first two tracks are probably the strongest on this release. "Utgårdalhovet" has some wonderful atmosphere and especially nice riffs to catch our attention.

I don't know what earlier Panphage sounded like, but "Jotunmodi" is a very strong showing for shifting styles. I think there are still some kinks to work out, but Panphage has some rock solid foundation to build on with this approach. I really look forward to hearing what's in store next.

Panphage - Panphage
Satanic Propaganda Records, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro
2. Elva Stigar Skymtas
3. Av Röta Besatt
4. Akhera Goiti-Akher Beiti
5. Pan Panphage











When back tracking Panphage's catalog this tape and the following two demos are very challenging to find. However, I was lucky to get my hands on this material and I purchased this out of curiosity because it seems Fjällbrandt sort of ignores this very early material. When Panphage re-released all their old demos it started at the release of "Jotunmodi" and ignored these first three, so I was wondering how primitive or terrible they might actually be. These early Panphage releases were put out on Satanic Propaganda Records and no limitation is listed, though I'm sure there is some type of limitation. This comes with a pro-printed insert on a dubbed tape. The insert isn't anything special, just the cover and a panel with track listing and line saying "recorded during fullmoon and fever in december 2005." So, this basically went from recording to release in a month.

Musically, this isn't anything particularly special. However, we get hints of what Panphage would later morph into in songs like "Elva Stigar Skrymtas" and "Akhera Goiti-Akher Beiti". In fact the riff in the latter was certainly re-used to better purpose on a different song. Tracks like "Av Röta Besatt" are really different from the more usual Arckanum inspired Panphage material. This has almost depressive Black Metal elements in it, but it has some heavier moments, but it lacks that strange upbeat dark groove that Panphage can generate. The songs lack any real cohesive style throughout the tape, so each song is just a disjointed sequence of riffs that may or may not fit together. There are some decent on ideas on here, but Fjällbrandt is sort of correct to leave these demos to history, since the style did become far more cohesive and well developed.

In the end this is a fun curiosity to have in my Panphage collection. As you can tell on this site I like hearing everything from my favorite projects whether it is good or bad material. Panphage clearly got off to a fairly rocky start, but over the years the sound was refined and turned into one of my favorite projects around. Unless you're truly a die-hard Panphage fan and must hear this early material it's mostly worth skipping this. Maybe a single listen out of curiosity, but it really doesn't have much in the way of replay value.