VALDAUDR is a Norwegian Black Metal duo formed by Daniel “Død” Olaisen (BLOOD RED THRONE) and Osvald “Vald” Egeland (ex – BLOOD RED THRONE) in 2018. They have one previous album entitled “Drapsdalen”. And now, three years later, we get their sophomore album “Du Skal Frykte” courtesy of Soulseller Records. Sincerely, I haven’t heard their previous album, but I read about VALDAUDR being the continuation of Død’s old Black / Thrash band COBOLT 60. So my expectations were logical: some good, old and raw Black / Thrash in pure Scandinavian style. The moody guitar and vocal only intro made me wonder how this album was going to develop. Well, upon first listen, I can confirm this is good, old and raw Black Metal. But I could not find the Thrash influence here. This is a great collection of songs that instantly sent me back to the early ’90s with a combination of maniacal tremolo riffing, eerie melodies, atmospheric passages and some of the best Black Metal shrieks I have heard lately. Vald’s performance is a tad one dimensional but he manages to exert such force and violence in his vocals that they just sound wild all the way through. Død’s songwriting is impeccable. There are many elements present here, but they are all perfectly incorporated into a 40 minutes of dare I say “Second Wave” Black Metal in the style we all know and absolutely dig. The production is undeniably updated, due to modern equipment and recording techniques, but it holds firmly onto times of old with an overall iciness and abrasiveness that, in my humble opinion, is inherent to this kind of music. The guitars dominate the mid / high frequency landscape with a raw yet clear tone. And right behind the bass guitar lines follow along most of the time, except for some of the slow parts where variations are applied to keep things interesting. The bass also covers most of the mid / low frequencies without becoming muddy or opaque. The drums may be the give away of modern production here, although they pack a punch and do maintain a decent organic sound. The mix is balanced and clear, with a bit of (understandable) vocal highlights. And the master is dynamic enough to let all the abrasiveness of the music shine through. I could not find info at the time of writing if guest drummer Rune Nesse returned for “Du Skal Frykte”. But whoever it was, fulfilled his duties amazingly. All the performances here are stellar. So, first off I would take the “Thrash” away from their tag. VALDAUDR plays some amazing Black Metal, period. Second, these guys are not bringing anything new to the table, but their attitude and performance matches all those bands (yes, I know you know) in the vein of old. It is amazing how close they get to that aura that this subgenre had when it started. “Du Skal Frykte” is a solid, cold and sharp Black Metal album that I would recommend to any extreme Metal fans out there. Support the band at www.facebook.com/valdaudr and get their album from www.facebook.com/soulsellerrecords