Despite the ferocity of the Norse mythology they profess, Helheim is effective chiefly because of their willingness to emphasize atmosphere over lockdown heaviness.
KAOSKULT is as adept at layering heavy cascades of guitar over insistent rhythms as it is at outright thrashing.
“Om Smerte Og Liv” is misty with impending doom, guitars ringing out of the murk like the bells of a cathedral, and the evocative “Helheim 6” oozes synth textures and choir voices over arpeggiated guitars.
When it crunches, KAOSKULT does so with the best of them, as on “Symboler Bakover Og Fremover,” a rocky peak of black metal power.