Brotthogg: Ved Veis Ende - Album Review
When I first hit play on Ved Veis Ende by Brotthogg I felt like I had walked into a frozen ruin. Brotthogg are from Norway and they know how to capture bleakness. This album is pure cold atmospheres and fury and it was one that surprised me with the quality. So let’s dive depper into Brotthogg and their newest release.
The Band and Their Path
Brotthogg started out in Trondheim around 2017 when Kristian Larsen Moen unleashed a solo vision that slowly grew into something more monstrous. Along with Jonas Moen and Craig Furunes on vocals and Stephen Carlson ripping leads the lineup now delivers something that feels both ancient and freshly lethal.
They have roots in black metal but they have never been satisfied staying in one lane. With Ved Veis Ende they lean into folklore, superstition, mythic terrain. Every lyric in Norwegian adds weight.
The Sound of Ved Veis Ende
This album is black metal at its core but it is built with many layers. In tracks like Fram Kryp Fanden the guitars crash with spite and speed then settle into grooves so oppressive that your chest fights for air. In I Daudastund the pace is wild and furious but also melodic. The vocals shift between shrieks and low gutturals until you are not sure if you are screaming or praying.
There are moments that slow you down. Pesta drags its weight a bit but definitely in a good way. It allows melody to breathe. It lets you sense that the next tracks are going to slap you in the face! I Djupet sinks deeper still. It is pain and melancholy married to some of the most well crafted guitar work I have heard in recent black metal releases. Treats like folk or death metal influences come through in solos or rhythm changes or moments of sudden clarity before the next wave of chaos hits.
Atmosphere, Production and Emotion
The production does its job beautifully. It does not polish away those depressive lo-fi shards of ice. The mix allows the space for rage but also doesn’t bury the melody. The guitars are sharp, the drums hit with precision, the vocals raw and present. There is space for atmosphere and dread. There is texture. When a song shifts from blast beat assault to slower melancholic riff you can feel the intent behind it and it just simply works.
Lyrically this album taps deep wells of Norwegian mythology and old superstition. The language feels intimate and ominous, not that I can understand a single word, but still! It is not just about sounding evil. it is about feeling as though you’re inhabiting that world. The myths feel real with the impact of the production.
What Sets It Apart
What makes Ved Veis Ende special is that Brotthogg do not settle. They thrive in contrast. They know that the blackest sections are more terrifying when matched with melody or with sorrow or with those rare breathing spaces. They know that brutality without craft is hollow. Because if you want to drag someone through folklore and fear you need to build atmosphere and then burn it down.
They also are not afraid of a technical challenge. The guitar leads twist in unexpected directions. The rhythm section sometimes operates like a goddamn V8, relentless, jerky, unforgiving. Yet at the same time there are moments of beauty. I found myself many times replaying sections.
Weak Spots
If I have one gripe it is that perhaps the album is heavy in its density. For listeners new to this kind of blackened, folklore-steeped extreme metal some tracks may feel long, perhaps even punishing. There is little respite in terms of sheer calm. The slower tracks help but even those often carry shadows of what came before.
Also some songs could have benefited from more dynamic contrast between quiet and ruin. But these are small quibbles when the craft is this sharp.
The HMC Verdict
If you want metal that feels ancient and alive if you want screams in Norwegian language, if you want riffs that bite like frost on steel, Ved Veis Ende will eat you up in the best way possible…NOT SEXUALLY!
It is an album that demands attention, that rewards repeated listens, that haunts. Brotthogg have given us something heavier and more majestic than many dare attempt.
Written by: Chort the Crop Infestor
“Hi, I’m Chort I infest crops and listen to Black Metal!”
