OUR LIST OF 2011’S MOST INFECTIOUS EXTREME METAL SONGS: PART 17

This is Part 17 of our list of the most infectious extreme metal songs released this year. Each day until the list is finished, I’m posting two songs that made the cut. For more details about what this list is all about and how it was compiled, read the Introduction via this link. To see the selections that preceded this one, click the Category link on the right side of the page called MOST INFECTIOUS SONGS-2011.

We’re winding our way down to the end of this list. I’ve set a self-imposed deadline of Friday to finish this — not because I don’t have enough songs to keep going, but because you can’t really call something a list if it has no end. Can you?

The catch-phrase of today is “Welcome to K-mart!” Not because we’ve decided to ditch metal and open up one of those stores, but because the names of both bands whose songs we’re featuring begin with “K”. “K” as in “Kick-ass” or “Killer”.

KARTIKEYA

Kartikeya is a Russian band we’ve mentioned quite often at this site (use the search box on this page and you’ll see what I mean). They’re very popular among those of us on the NCS staff, and they seem to be popular among our readers and other contributors, too.They play an unusual (and unusually appealing) style of heavy-grooved melodic death metal that incorporates elements of black metal as well as traditional Indian music.

TheMadIsraeli reviewed the band’s 2011 album, Mahayuga, for us (here) and wrote this:  “Imagine the speed, symphonics, and intensity of The Monolith Deathcult and the progressive nature and melodic sense of Ihsahn, and throw in fully inclusive Indian folk elements, and you have Kartikeya. There is a lot of fun to be had on this album, what with its catchy riffing, its full-frontal-brutality assault on the senses, the Indian atmosphere and vibe, and the superb melodic moments when they spring up.”

“Neverborn” is a song from Mahayuga that exemplifies the diverse musical elements of Kartikeya and how superbly they weave them together. It’s also catchy as fuck. We’re delighted to name it one of last year’s most infectious extreme metal songs.

“Neverborn”

[audio:https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/06-Neverborn.mp3|titles=Kartikeya – Neverborn]

Now, for our next “K” band . . .

KAMPFAR

“Kampfar” is apparently an ancient Norse battle cry which means Odin or Wotan. It’s also the name of a long-running Norwegian band who specialize in Viking-themed black/pagan metal. We didn’t review their 2011 album, Mare (one of many great albums we didn’t get around to), but it did receive a fair share of attention at NCS.

Andy Synn named Mare one of 2011’s Great Albums (as well as one of his personal favorites), with these words: “An absolute stormer of an album, this record captures the uplifting, rebellious spirit of Black Metal’s punk roots, expressed through a medium of scalding riffs and refined technicality, all delivered with seamless conviction.one of the five albums of the last decade that best epitomize the potential and quality of post-millennial black metal.” Mare also made the Top 10 list we published from Johan Hultdgren (Obitus).

It is indeed an uplifting album, though that’s not at all what you might expect from a band that prides itself on performing “true Norwegian black metal”. It also happens to include one of the most infectious extreme songs I heard last year. In fact, the title track could easily become a pop music hit if it were performed by an indie rock band, for example. Hell, it could probably become a hit if performed by Lady Gaga.

But fuck that shit. I like the way Kampfar does it. It’s catchy, but it also bites and claws. And if you’re like me, you’re going to feel like singing along, so I’ve included the lyrics beneath the song player. Here’s our latest addition to the MOST INFECTIOUS song list:

[audio:https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/01-Mare.mp3|titles=Kampfar – Mare]

LYRICS

In the shadows it’s crawling
Towards the pale light
In the moonlight
It twists and turns

When the darkness is freezing
From the blood of the moon
And the howling is bleeding your name

From the cold winds of the moon
It’s spreading like rats
In the cold light
It turns into red

In the shadows its crawling
Towards the pale light
In the moonlight
It twists and turns

It’s cold

It’s riding, its riding
The devil in red
It’s crawling, its crawling
A devilish triumph under moon
It’s riding, its riding
The darkness prevails
It’s freezing, its freezing
In the blood of the moon