‘Stormande angstfylte januarnatt, Byar og vrakrester evig fortapt, Vinden var vill, for alt blet still’ (Atomvinter Pt.1) / ‘Stormy , anxious January night, Cities and ruins lost forever, The wind was wild, Before everything was still’ (Atomic Winter Pt.1)

Oslo’s Draümar, who share vocalist Sig with Assistert Sjølmord, dropped their cracking debut 7-inch, D’Krig (The War), back in 2022.  So, we’ve had to wait a little while for the follow up.  A couple of blistering recent London shows further whetted the appetite, and as soon as the eerily swelling, breakbeat fuelled intro of Ute å Stjele (Out To Steal) kicks in, you know that this anticipation has been well-earned.

Draümar remain firmly embedded in the traditions of Norwegian hardcore, melding together a savage onslaught of frenetic speed, bruising grooves, and a lacing of dark melancholy.  The guitars flip with a seamless ease between burly riffage and rather more nimble melodic flourishes alongside a lock-step tight rhythm section.  Meanwhile, the harshly rasping, snarled vocals, including a deliciously unhinged manic cackle on Norske Våpen (Norwegian Weapons), bring an invigorating venom to bear.

Lyrically, they confront Norway’s burgeoning arms trade, the horrors unfolding in Gaza, and the global threat of ever escalating militarisation, together with more personal battles.  The highlights come thick and fast.   The choppy melodicism of Likbil (Hearse).  The feral oscillations of Molotov Draümar (Molotov Dreamer). The high-octane one-two of Atomvinter Parts 1 and 2.  There is also a seething cover of Herrene (The Gentleman) by their fellow mid-1980s’ Norwegians, Bannlyst, featuring their vocalist Finn Erik Tangen who sounds in ferociously fine fettle.