I am no stranger to sludgy post-metal – LLNN’s Unmaker has been a fascination of mine – but there’s something about sludge metal’s inherent nature that most people seem to gloss over. Sure, the music’s tempo is slow and it drags from time to time, but when the music seems to push you away from listening, then you know you found something intense, new, and foreboding. Curious as to what I was about to experience, I decided to dive into Norna’s newest release, Norna, and see what the fuss was all about it.

Spoiler alert: if Unmaker is the tension before an atomic bomb goes off, then Norna is the aftermath of the bomb’s detonation.

One of the first things I noticed about Norna is how abrasive it is. The music feels corrosive, as if you are watching acid melt metal and whatever else is in its path. The first track “Samsara” is vitriolic yet meditative, all bordered by how uncomfortable the track can become. Its heavy usage of sludge and slow, drone-like elements pushes onward, enveloping anyone in its space. Once you get past the track’s repetitive nature, you can then find that the music has this haunting quality to it. Forget the overall aggressive nature the album offers – it’s only part of the whole that is Norna, and it has only just begun. That haunting quality comes fully into “For Fear of Coming,” a track that can only be described as apocalyptic, given its dense, backing noise. While it lacks the acidic nature of “Samsara,” “For Fear of Coming” makes up for it by implementing heavy droning, eliciting the inherent fear of the unknown. To add further to its apocalyptic nature, both the vocals and the background noise are extremely eerie and somewhat unintelligible, a distant scream on the horizon. This song is what we will hear when the apocalypse occurs, and everything has been blown to smithereens.

However, once the album shifts into “Ghost,” Norna becomes more accessible, as if using its acidic nature to weed out those who might not enjoy this type of sludgy post-metal. “Ghost” also indicates a musical shift in the album’s sound. Unlike the previous two tracks, this song has a more rhythmic groove to it that makes it easier to listen to. If this was the payoff for getting through the apocalypse, then you have got it. Sure, everything outside the main melodic line is just sonic chaos that includes radio static, but it only accentuates that shift, especially when the primary focus is on that bassline. As the album continues, the music moves into what I can only describe as “doom groove,” in that it remains heavy and foreboding, but there’s a certain flow to the music that makes you want to move along to the beat. To continue with the apocalypse motif, it’s the inherent joy of survival, of knowing that you have survived this far and have managed to adapt to your various circumstances. Sludge metal is not a genre I would associate with joy or happiness, given how slow or drone-like it can become. However, when the music hits just right and you are finally in the headspace to appreciate what it’s trying to do, then it’s a cause for celebration.

Norna is a slow burn, an album that takes its time letting the listener get used to its nature before shedding its outward skin and showing its innards. While the first two tracks can be seen as the main barrier to entry, everything after “For Fear of Coming” is a sludge metal dream, employing enough melodic lines to keep things interesting and moving. It took me a while to come around and fully enjoy Norna, but as someone whose tastes keep expanding, I think you just must let the album play to its inherent conclusion. Come for the apocalypse and the vitriol, stay for the sincere melodic moments.

— Hera

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Norna will be available August 30 on Pelagic Records. For more information on Norna, visit their official Facebook and Instagram.