Death from the North

A return for Finland's Nightside, which were active from 1996 to 2004 and returned in 2021, Death from the North arcs back to that era with a melodic and vicious black metal that was prevalent in the mid-90s. Fast but not overly so, steering clear of the "who can do it the fastest" kind of blasting ("norsecore"), with raspy, snarly vocals that are decipherable to some extent. The strong use of melody does not water this down at all as, except for a few interlude-ish passages, the band just plows away with raw violence and aggression. This sound is little polished but there's nevertheless a hint of rawness to keep things real. This is, of course, not especially original—not at all, in fact—but it's very well executed.