Ondf?dt are a Finnish black metal band and this is their second album. We’ve met Ondf?dt before on 2014’s Hexkonst, which I found to be quite an enjoyable blast of largely traditional rawness. D?dsrikets Kallelse provides us with 36 minutes of unholy blackened fury. The songs are generally a little shorter on this new release when compared to their debut album, indicating the band’s increased preference for icy aggression and hate-fuelled intensity. Having said that, however, I should note that this certainly isn’t a one dimensional assault, and Ondf?dt show that they have a good range of tools available to them in their black metal toolbox. Whether blasting with furious passion, or grooving with classic appeal, Ondf?dt are a band that know their material well and how to cater it to their audience. They’re more than capable of throwing out some strong riffs too. Dark melodies are used well, as was the case on the band’s first album. Their effectiveness as been refined further though, and some of the tracks on D?dsrikets Kallelse demonstrate a good grasp of blackened atmosphere, (the instrumental song D?dens Dr?m is the most well-realised example of this). The savage snarls of the singer are easily digested for those brought up on second wave screams. The general range of vocal of attack has narrowed in focus since Hexkonst, (with the exception of the last song, a cover), but this hasn’t impacted on the quality of the songs at all. Combined with the rest of the music on D?dsrikets Kallelse Ondf?dt tick all of the relevant boxes necessary for an enjoyable album.
