The name of this band is Boarhammer.  The name of this album is II: Chemognosis – A Shortcut to Mushrooms.  When the band name and album title deliver the one-two punch of references to some of my favorite things on planet earth, how am I supposed to simply ignore this on the promo planner?  Like we say: sometimes you pick the album, sometimes the album picks you.  Turns out, though, that there is a lot more to like about Chemognosis than just the bits and references.

I had never heard of Boarhammer before, although now I really wish that I could say that I had.  Apparently, their debut demo from 2021 I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes did numbers, but somehow it slipped beneath my radar.  People were enchanted by the warmth that the enigmatic duo that makes up Boarhammer injected into the formula of first-wave black metal, incorporating doom, sludge, psychedelic rock and traditional heavy metal.  The band emphasizes the ritualistic and esoteric aspects of the black metal aesthetic, but they elevate the sound in the way that I think serves best: they take themselves just seriously enough to be able to write pretty killer tunes, but not so seriously that they veer off into pretension.  In fact, Chemognosis is exactly the opposite: it’s an album that is full of pageantry and showmanship, but in a way that is goofy and extravagant enough to be able to lure people in instead of box them out for not being “kvlt” enough.  Frontman The Vessel brings the listener into the album in the same way a ringmaster for a traveling circus would bring in passersby, and while the music mostly adheres to the credo of black metal and its offshoots, it ventures into bombastic and unabashedly fun territory that black metal is not necessarily known for treading.  From the name alone, you should get the sense that this is a band that is not concerned with accruing TRVE KVLT points, but the music absolutely matches that in energy, and I think that’s a breath of fresh air.  If you’re going to make first wave inspired black metal in the year of our lord 2024, the only way your band is going to stand out from the crowd is to have fun with it.

Similarly, the production quality on Chemognosis is raw enough to please the purists, but it definitely doesn’t sound like it was recorded on a headset mic through a $20 amplifier.  It is a part of the show, and it is a part of the aesthetic, but Boarhammer certainly don’t hide behind shitty production to disguise their lack of talent.  The riffs on here are clever, tasty and capture the feel of first wave black metal without feeling like they are beholden to a strict set of rules and characteristics they have to follow.  This is black metal from the heart, much more free and truly wild than any mere imitator.  The various sprinkles of doom and death and even punk throughout Chemognosis’s runtime help break up the album into chunks that are easily digestible, and they really do reinforce the fact that this album is fun to listen to.  It’s not punishing, it’s not brutal or austere and cold, it’s warm and alive and yes, very mystical and ritualistic, but before anything else, it’s a righteous good time.  

I had a feeling that I was going to appreciate anything put out by a band with a name like Boarhammer, but Chemognosis surprised me more than I thought it was going to.  This is an album that reminds me there is joy in black metal, and you can, despite what some people might think, have a good time making it and listening to it.  If any black metal album was to be put on at a party, this could be the one.  The wood has been cut, time to set it ablaze.

— Ian

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II: Chemognosis – A Shortcut to Mushrooms is available now on Naturmacht Productions.  For more information on Boarhammer, visit their Instagram page.