Since their formation in 2021, Estonia's SOERD have been stoking the fires of old. A two-song demo first bubbled from the earth in their year of formation, followed two years later by a five-song EP that SIGNAL REX later released on all formats with Lyndanise Coven. While SIGNAL REX's home base is still Portugal, the label has dug deeper into Estonia's oft-overlooked black metal underground, and now raises the banner with SOERD's debut album. Titled Keldrikojast, SOERD's first full-length emits a mysticism that's authentically early '90s and yet is simultaneously elusive of simple categorization. Perhaps some of that could be due to the now-quartet utilizing their native tongue, lending a certain ageless wisdom to proceedings much like the original Norwegian vanguard did; no less fiery, the founding duo of guitarist SIIM and bassist Erik utilize their respective vocals in a harsh / clean counterpart that's poignant and stirring to the extreme. But, in large part, it's simply due to their strong songwriting, which ably balances passionate fury and momentum-retaining dynamics. Or, it's just that Keldrikojast has a certain atmosphere that's alternately spectral and earthen - or, because of Estonia's unique geography, aesthetic ties to the prevailing Finnish paradigm and wider Eastern European expressions - putting them in rarefied territory for traditional black metal. Hearts on fire!
