Review by Ben for Ulver - Nattens madrigal: Aatte hymne til ulven i manden (1997)

Where Ulver truly extended their claws, Nattens madrigal is challenging yet brilliantly executed black metal.

There was a lot to be excited about on hearing that Norway’s Ulver were set to release their third album. Their debut Bergtatt was an incredible mix of black and folk metal that had quickly positioned itself as one my all-time favourite records. While its entirely acoustic follow-up Kveldsangger hadn’t made anywhere near the same connection for me personally, the news that Nattens madrigal would return to black metal filled me with optimism. After only Garm, Håvard and AiwarikiaR performed on Kveldsangger, it was great to see Aismal and Skoll re-join the pack, suggesting there was every chance Ulver were about to repeat the magic of Bergtatt before the year was out. I was first in line to purchase the album, and as would be the case with many fans, I was placed firmly on my ass after pressing play. It was this day that Ulver taught me in no uncertain terms to never put restrictive expectations on where this band will venture next. It’s a lesson I would be required to recall for all future Ulver releases, as the band members jump from one genre to the next, simply refusing to repeat themselves. Once you accept that Ulver care nothing about what you as the listener want to hear and just hop onboard whatever journey they wish to take next as individuals, their work becomes far less shocking and challenging. Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet accepted this at all back in 1997, which is why the insanely lo-fi and raw black metal cacophony coming out of my speakers was nothing if not disappointing.

My first reaction to Nattens madrigal - Aatte hymne til ulven i manden, which translates as Madrigal of the Night – Eight Hymns to the Wolf in Man, was that it was taking the piss. The blatantly intentional lo-fi production, complete with excess feedback and an overabundance of treble, seemed to be a joke at the expense of underground black metal. There were rumours floating around early on that the album was recorded in some remote forest in Norway, and further suggestions that the Ulver members used a four-track cassette recorder so that they could spend the significant Century Media budget on Armani suits, cocaine and beer. Once the shock subsided, a couple of intense listens to Nattens madrigal were enough to convince me that this album is certainly no joke, nor was it recorded in a forest. The sound is exactly the way Ulver wanted it to be, and despite the abrasive rawness of the whole thing, the drums, guitars, vocals and even the bass are always audible. When asked about the forest rumour, vocalist Garm’s answer was simply that there is no electricity in a forest. I’ll say it right now that you wouldn’t be able to achieve this finely balanced extremity using a generator and a tape recorder in the middle of a forest. The budget reallocation rumour may have more truth to it however. After all, this is the first and last Ulver release to be found on the Century Media catalogue. You can just imagine the expressions on the faces of the Century Media execs when Nattens madrigal destroyed their eardrums.

Is Nattens madrigal a rip-off of the likes of Darkthrone’s Transilvanian Hunger? Maybe, but Ulver took that obvious influence and gave it their own special touch. There’re a lot of fantastic melodies on this album, which is not really expected for such a nasty black metal production, and the added folk injection in Hymne 1 – Wolf and Fear and short ambient connectors that separate each track give the album some breathing space, along with a strangely distinctive feel. While AiwarikiaR’s drumming is pretty much blasting all the way through and Garm’s perfectly executed vocals don’t venture far from typically venomous black metal fare, Håvard and Torbjørn execute stacks of hypnotic riff variations at extremely high speed. Once you accept the exceedingly trebly and muffled production, which admittedly takes a few listens to embrace, there are some killer black metal tracks on Nattens madrigal, which is why it’s held in such high regard by so many. It’s consistent in quality too, with every track offering up great, majestic riffs, but my favourites would have to be Hymne II - Wolf and the Devil, Hymne VI - Wolf and Passion and Hymne VIII - Wolf and the Night. Just as with the album concept, which follows a man who succumbs to lycanthropy, Nattens madrigal is where these men truly became the wolves that their name suggests. It’s not an album that can be recommended to everyone, as it’s likely to challenge all but the most ardent black metal fans. I say that from experience, as I’ve probably added half a star every couple of years for the last decade, as Nattens madrigal continues to sink its claws in deeper.