It was only a matter of time before two of the most infamous Black Metal musicians from Norway conspired together on a musical project. I’m talking about none other than Fenriz from Darkthrone and Nattefrost from Carpathian Forest. Wondering what all this could be about, I couldn’t wait to get my copy of Engangsgrill and listen for myself.

Fenriz’ Red Planet kicks off this split. Digging out some old forgotten songs from 1993, it seems more like they came from the 1970s judging from what I hear. It’s no surprise how doomed out this sounds. Fenriz seems to be quite comfortable in this realm of music. Playing all instruments himself, but leaving the tambourine to Dekorator/Ventilator. It’s as heavy as Pentagram and early Black Sabbath. If only it were recorded better, it could almost conjure up the power Electric Wizard had on Dopethrone. There are a few glitches in the recording being transferred from tape to disc, but this rather sounds close to something off of a vinyl. That quality right there makes it sound even more authentic. The songs are rather timely, averaging nearly six to seven minutes. Don’t look for any traces of Black Metal from Fenriz on this EP, because it is all strictly into the void, so to speak. His vocals are rather humble and fit the music well. Being quite young when he recorded this, the quality of his self musicianship is quite impressive and he really seems to nail old school doom right on the head. Suddenly the doom ends and with horns and a high pitched scream we are thrown into Nattefrost’s world of dirty black metal. Nattefrost doesn’t stray far from his usual perverse self brand of what he calls True Norwegian Black Metal. It’s good to hear him again, like an old friend, and he hasn’t lost his disgusting yet amusing approach to lyrics. His vocals are right on, classic Nattefrost here, his tortured yells, his demonic growls, his high pitched screams, and let’s not forget coughing up snot. He also takes control of all the instruments, but he gets a little help from some familiar friends on drums and bass. If the beginning of the song Sin Goddammit doesn’t make you laugh, with its acoustic intro and goofy high pitched mock singing, then you are missing the boat. The rest of the song is a straight up black metal onslaught with an ompa drum beat perfect for head banging. Lustmord has to be the strangest track on the entire album. Part spoken word and part song that is an odd nod to serial killers. Nattefrost ends it all with the classic Humiliated And Pissed Upon which sounds like it could have been included on one of his solo albums.

Engangsgrill is a must have if you are a fan of either of these musicians. Perfect for those Carpathian Forest fans who are craving a tease from Mr. Nattefrost. Also, who can pass up a chance to hear Fenriz going totally doom? I know I can not.