Nidingr

hough they were formed in 1992, Greatest Of Deceivers is only the third studio record from Norwegian black metal band Nidingr. What they have lacked in quantity, however, they have made up for in quality, and Greatest Of Deceivers is another thoughtful, well-crafted and positively steaming little chunk of evil.
The artwork prominently incorporates the word God, just in case there was any question about who the great deceiver might be, and the the lyrical themes are as anti-theist as one might expect. While there is not a lot that shocks about this record, there is an awful lot that satisfies.

While much black metal privileges rawness and primitive production, many bands falsely assume that this means that sloppy, rushed or incomplete songs are also desirable. Nidingr are well aware of this potential pitfall and instead have crafted every track on this record with care.

From the spitting, slavering viciousness of the riffs on “Oh Thou Empty God” to the triumphal swelling of “The Worm is Crowned,” every tone and texture is deliberately chosen. The more atmospheric touches are similarly well-deployed, especially the lighter touch on “All Crowns Fall.”

The real strength of the record is certainly the vocals. Cpt. Estrella Grasa has a tortured vocal delivery that is part anguished raving, part parable like a mad preacher. There is something unseated and unsettled about the delivery, as though at any moment the vocals could go completely off-kilter and break the song apart.

A rank slab of intelligent malevolence, Greatest Of Deceivers will surprise many with its cunning and violence. It's faults are minor – perhaps a little too much flourish and length, but this can almost be forgiven as - About.Com

I really wanted to make sure I reviewed this Norwegian band’s third LP in the same post as Anaal Nathrakh because there are many points during this record that they remind me of a slowed down version of them. Now of course, everything is slowed down in comparison so I’m not talking ballads here.

There’s an immediate attraction to this album because it stands out from the crowd. Cpt.Estrella Grasa has a perfect voice for this type of music and sings partially clean, partially grimey but mostly evil sounding to go along with some fiercely unique riffs.

There’s this weird thing with Greatest of Deceivers where every time I thought the pace would pick up, they would slow down the tempo. And every time I figured it was going to slow down, they tossed in some quick, memorable riffage. Nidingr have this knack for keeping the rawness of the black metal in tact while still adding melodic riffs into the mix – fuck, “Pure Pale Gold” is almost toe-tappin’ at times.

Greatest of Deceivers is filled to the brim with fantastic songwriting and challenging riffs that push black metal another step forward. This is definitely worth your time. - Popdose

Though this is the first time I've happened upon NIDINGR, research has shown me that they've been together for a very long time. Yet this new album sounds just as fresh as if it was a debut, and that's because it's truly authentic. NIDINGR have made an absolute masterpiece on an album that truly matches it's intricate cover. Fans of DEATHSPELL OMEGA, BLUT AUS NORD, SECRETS OF THE MOON, SATYRICON, IHSAHN and others in that genre will be very pleased with this new approach to black metal that just sounds momentous. The disc has a clean production, yet still has a sludgy sound to it as the band plays with time signatures, djent and prog in what I would certainly have to consider one of the best black metal releases of the year. The drums blaze furiously, the vocals are bellowed forth with fierce emotion, and the guitars mix bleak atmospheres together with artistic magnificence. It is as if the massive serpents on the album cover literally expel themselves out from the artwork and crawl around in your mind, opening unseen cognitive potential through such technically calculated sounds that are as catchy as they are mysterious. With such songs like "The Worm Is Crowned" "Pure Pale Gold" and my personal favorite, "Mother Of Abominations" showing off the band's full potential, there is little more to say about this one, other than the fact that it's certainly one of the more interesting black metal discs that I've come across. I knew nothing about this band until I happened upon this album, and now I'm curious for more... - The Grim Tower

Morten “Teloch” Iversen is indeed one of the most interesting composers/musicians from Norway at the moment. Last year he blew me away with The Konsortium and this year it’s time for pretty much the same but in the form of Nidingr.

I admit that Nidingr is a quite new acquintance of mine, but nevertheless I’ve had the time to familiarize myself with both “Sorrow Infinite and Darkness” (2005) and “Wolf-Father” (2010). If your anything like me, liking the bands previous albums, you’ll simply love “Greatest of Deceivers“. “GoD” is both diverse and quite complex, but it still feels accessible and captivating – a balancing act that many of today’s more avant-gardish and more experimental black metal bands sadly fail with (resulting in something that feels more like taking a math-exam than enjoying music). Nidingr however succeds with balancing all the elements just right. In fact so well that I dare to say that this album has managed to climb high on my “Best of 2012“-list.

“Greatest of Deceivers” in my ears is simply an album that has pretty much everything I want to hear from a good black metal album – aggression, rawness, speed, technique, heaviness, variety and last but not least; a fantastic production. The soundscape on this album feels organic, warm, unedited and un-triggered, creating an almost analog feel to it that I simply love.

?Recommended tracks: The Balances / Pure Pale Gold / Dweller in the Abyss - DeathDomain

Originally a solo-project of Teloch, this ‘all-star’ Black Metal band presents us with their latest opus of destruction titled “Greatest of Deceivers”. Being no strangers to Black Metal, all members of this band channel their collective efforts into one of the most savage and crushing Black Metal releases of 2012. With a no-bullshit approach, the band delivers ten anthems of sickness that will surely resonate in your ears for quite a long time.

The furious “Greatest of Deceivers” opens up this release on a very high note with perfectly layered guitar riffs and very intense drumming. The vocals are top notch courtesy of Cpt. Estrella Grasa, and greatly do justice to such well-crafted Black Metal. Leading the riffing onslaught we have Teloch and Blargh, in what seems a competition of who delivers the most awesome riff as the songs progress.

Things really start to get interesting with the melodic interludes in “O Thou Empty God”, showing that the band is not a one-trick pony and that they can still create a sick BM atmosphere while not overly abusing the traditional elements of the genre. The stop-and-go nature of “Vim Patior” makes this track one of our favorite and another fine example of the band’s creativity when it comes to crafting engaging music.

Our favorite track in this release is the commanding “This Worm is Crowned”, a very aggressive song that is very well crafted and quite catchy. In terms of guitar work, we have to say that “Pure Plae Gold” and “Mother of Abominations” feature some pretty solid solos and very well layered sections that can only be the work of expert riffing specialists such as Teloch. Closing with the weird tempos of “Dweller in the Abyss”, the band leaves on a very high note and will leave us waiting for another few years for their next release.

“Greatest of Deceivers” is probably one of the top 10 Black Metal releases of this year, and you should definitely check it out if you like your music to have solid production values and a shit-ton of killer riffs. Nidingr is at the top of their game and we sure hope they manage to make it to the use to spread their sickness in this side of the pond. - Infernalmasquerade

I was looking forward to this release since it featured two new members of two historic Black Metal bands. For anyone that does not know: Teloch is currently the new guitarist of MAYHEM, following Blasphemer’s departure and Blargh is the new guitarist of DODHEIMSGARD, and NIDINGR is the project that the two started back in the mid 90s. Following the release of two albums (“Sorrow Infinite and Darkness” and “Wolf-Father”), now with their new album “Greatest of Deceivers” the Norwegian blacksters show their full potential.

What you notice straight away is that the production is quite different to extreme metal bands (at least recent extreme metal releases). The drums are not triggered (finally!) and they are really natural warm sounding, but most importantly this is one of the few black metal albums were you will hear clearly the bass (which is awesome by the way). According to the band Teloch was in charge of the recording and after listening to “Greatest of Deceivers”, it is quite clear that the guy really knows what he is doing.

Musically NIDINGR style is quite similar to the last DODHEIMSGARD album. But I also think that VED BUENS ENDE heavily influences their sound, with the twisted VOIVOD influenced guitar sound and paranoid leads. Although the clean bits on the album are not so many, they do have something of the VED BUENS ENDE ambience, examples of that is songs like “Vim Patior” (about two minutes in the song) and “O Thou Empty God”, while in other occasions they manage to create an almost epic sound, like in the “The Worm Is Crowned” (featuring Garm of ULVER on vocals) in the last two minutes of the track. But NIDINGR take their music a step forward with their complex melodies and chaotic rhythms (perfect example of NIDINGR’s messing with the rhythm is the song “Rags Upon A Beggar”), creating dissonant songs that after a few listens will be stuck in your head.

Still they are influenced from more straight forward bands of the Black Metal scene and it is quite striking how they manage to retain their Black Metal raw, aggressive sound while at the same time include progressive elements and excellent musicianship. There is definitely some influence from MAYHEM and EMPEROR on the more melodic parts of the album (for example on the ending of “Mother of Abominations”) while the drumming of Øyvind Myrvoll can only be compared with drummers such as Hellhammer (MAYHEM, ARCTURUS and a million other projects) and Frost (SATYRICON, 1349 and also a million other projects). But still the most impressive aspect of NIDINGR for me would have to be the bass, Blargh and Teloch both play the bass on the record and their work is thrilling, up until I did not think that a bass could sound so grand on a black metal release.

All in all “Greatest Of Deceivers” is a great Black Metal album, combining black metal with extremely technical playing. It is definitely not something that can be categorized as easy listening and it will probably take you a few listens to really appreciate it due to its dissonant sound, but once you give it some time there is no way you will not be awestruck by NIDINGR. With this release I cannot wait to see how the next MAYHEM and DODHEIMSGARD albums will turn out, and I am quite optimistic for both. - Metal Temple