Review: Legbiter / Norna ‘Legbiter / Norna’
Pelagic Records continue their mission to bring the finest in underground music through their diverse, curated roster. Having stretched their output beyond the post-metal that initially defined them, they have recently included more experimental music verging on pop and singer-songwriter acts within the avant-garde spectrum.
However, they now return (almost) to their roots with a split offering from a pair of hard-hitting Swedish bands that thrill and deviate from the norm. Equally split across six tracks, this recent release features the talents of Legbiter and Norna as they look to offer a divergence from the usual expansive fare.
Taking the first half of the record, Legbiter are a Swedish alternative heavy rock band who take their core influences from post-hardcore, noise-rock and shoegaze. Founded just over a decade ago, they draw from the ‘90s underground alternative scene and bring it up to date with a modern twist.
Comprising of former members from Purusam, Cult Of Luna and Sentinel 5, Legbiter consists of Jonas Slove Eriksson, Viktor Ahnfelt, Rickard Lindblom and Rikard Nordström. Together, they carve out a sound that blends harsh, abrasive riffing and dreamy atmospherics in a raw collision of post-hardcore intensity.
Opening their three tracks with Worms, they waste little time getting into churning, Neurosis-influenced post-metal territory. After a slow-building start, they take a left turn into a woozy post-hardcore sound that shimmers with clean vocals drenched in melody. Heavy and slamming, with an intense focus on a brooding pounding, they switch tempos seamlessly as swells collide with angular guitar hammerings and Nordström’s unique vocal style.
Second track Speedball erupts with an off-kilter beginning; the lurching, rhythmic pounding that follows the nagging start is pure headbanging manna. Jarring guitars cut through the dense rumbling and taut drums as they challenge Deftones in swaying, scything rock and lush, immersive, emotional drifting.
Major Motion has an intense, atmospheric opening. The rat-tat-tat of the drums creates an ominous tension before exploding into a bristling, bass-heavy verse that leads to another divine, enveloping chorus. Unlike the previous number’s anthemic chorus uplift, this is not quite as catchy in comparison, but the harmonies flutter and float alongside the barrage of music to sign off on a high.
a varied celebration of sheer, immersive heavy music…
Featuring members from Switzerland and Sweden, they’re spearheaded by Christophe Macquat and Marc Theurillat – both of whom are also in post-metal sludgers Ølten – who wanted to create a new project in parallel and with a specific singer in mind: legendary Breach member Tomas Liljedahl.
Far from a one-trick pony, Norna’s overall sound is shot through with the kind of nihilistic vigour that looks to make them a force to be reckoned with. This split marks their latest release, following their 2024 self-titled album and their 2022 debut, the six-track Star Is Way Way Is Eye, a suffocating, crushing statement of intent
Lithany has a more electronic feel as it introduces the band. The long, ringing, doom-like notes stretch the anticipation as the drums roll like thunder in the distance. Big, fuzzing riffs backdrop the hoarse screams of Liljedahl in a slow-moving, inevitable sense of inertia. As thick as a whale omelette and as dense as winter fog, the track feels like it travels very little distance dynamically; however, it remains an intense study in moody, granite-hard rock.
More heavy sludge-churning follows with Eyes Of God, making you forget that Norna are a three-piece, such is the wall of sound that they produce. The repetitive, punishing bass underpins the cycling chords and note shifts that herald the rasping shouts. During the vocal-less parts, the band positively boil with frustration as they wrench the track from their instruments. Like Legbiter, they share a debt to the recently returned Neurosis, and there are moments here that fans of the terrifying Silver In Blood era could lock into with cathartic glee.
The towering, stomping Serpents of Gold ends the split in merciless style. An exercise in precision hammering, there is enough heft here to put out a weightlifter’s back, alongside nightmarish psychedelic guitar melodies and bellowing, throat-scraping pleas. When they pause around the midway point, you expect an ambient breather; instead, they double down with a huge, swinging groove and blackened screams that end as abruptly as they started.
Both bands on this split have clearly spent time studying the mastery of dynamics; the tempo shifts, accents and overall understanding make this record a tour de force in post-metal. You could argue that they are standing on the shoulders of giants, but it’s what they do from that height that counts. They leverage those tools to the best of their ability, bringing something fresh rather than just a mere retread. With this release, the bands and their label tease enough to guarantee interest in further full-length material, while also creating a varied celebration of sheer, immersive heavy music.
Label: Pelagic Records
Legbiter: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Norna: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
