Thorr's Hammer

The inaugural release of the then-new Southern Lord label, 1998’s three-song EP was the solitary album from Thorr’s Hammer, a short-lived doom band featuring label prez and Goatsnake guitarist Greg Anderson and Burning Witch crust dealer Stephen O’Malley. This reissue packs an extra live track plus video footage of the band’s debut performance. Opener "Norge” mixes 17-year-old female vocalist Runhild Gammelsæter’s melodic clean vocals (with lyrics in Norwegian) during calmer passages with the unbridled fury of her unearthly death growls, immediately reminiscent of Mythic/Demonic Christ front-woman Dana Duffey. The Anderson/O’Malley team (who would form doom/drone outfit Sunn (O))) years later) pulverises both "Troll” and the title track like classic Winter with the same viscous chords as High On Fire or Orodruin, and the 12-minute live cut, "Mellon Galgene,” is a kissing cousin of Reverend Bizarre. Gammelsæter is radiant in the grainy live concert, and it’s easy to see how the band would’ve quickly folded upon her departure for Norway (though she returned to guest on Sunn (O)))’s White1 last year). As it did once before, Dommedagsnatt remains a tribute to the young Gammelsæter — and an open invitation for her to return.