13th June 2025

Review: “The Heritage of Existence” by Intet

Describing themselves as an experimental Black Metal band from Norway with a desire to take the traditional and culturally important style of the genre and blend in our own styles and influences, Intet began their journey in in 2021. Drawing from the well of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Cattle Decapitation and Psycroptic, their first portrait was single “Of Wolves and Snakes” and in the four years that have passed since, they have been shaping their debut EP like a clay pot to be fired. Curiously the band declare themselves a duo with Håvard Ekremsæter handling guitars, composition and lyric writing alongside bassist Emil Bringsli, who runs Bringsli Productions and produces, mixes, masters and arranges the tracks as he has done for the likes of Kingseeker, Burial Path and Myrlik to name but a few. However there is more to the music than first meets the eye as the duo get by with a little help from their friends, Arian Eghbalzade handling drum programming and Andreas Knutsen, a man known for his work in Eodon, Bister and as a live guitarist for Within Destruction as a session vocalist and lyricist. Whether that team remains in place for their next burnt offering remains to be seen…

Laced with themes of misanthropy, politics, mythology and war “The Heritage of Existence” comprises five cuts that could arguably be described as Extreme Metal, bringing together elements of Black Metal, Death Metal and even Deathcore into one homogeneous substance. “Old Hateful” gets the chemistry experiment started with drum programming that you can barely recognise as such and head turning unclean vocals. Knutsen uses a pair of voices, one with more of a death growled style and one more shrill, to give the impression of multiple vocalists where there is in fact just one and given that he is known as a drummer and guitarist first and foremost his range is absolutely incredible. At first the band embrace Black Metal with a forceful opening passage but gradually they twist and contort as the track plays out eventually finishing with a funky Progressive Death Metal passage that is nothing short of sublime. Racing along the Devil’s dog track like a dungeon whippet, after a few moments of dissonant guitar “Heritage Pt. 1” begins with blast beats and a brutal roar. A time honoured moment of scalding savageness, that sends a chill down the spine, before the onslaught slows to a meandering with almost Type O Negative style Gothic leanings. Viciously biting back in the mid section with sharp teeth, intricate picking and leads is a masterstroke, the shifting tempos and textures making for something interesting, dark and strangely inviting, like a hot cup of coffee from a hot coffee cup. The sinister urge of Black Metal is never lost however this record isn’t one for purists.

Splitting the record in two like a sight for sore eyes “Heritage Pt. 2” offers a little more of that funky Progressive Death Metal in the mix, Ekremsæter and Bringsli never afraid to get creative or go with the flow. The result of that is borders on the masterful as the musicians have great chemistry and are able to create compositions with verve, swagger, poise and purpose. Moments of contemplation and meandering are kept concise so you get the essence without ever wondering where they’re going with it and they always return to their heavier roots. “Forever” is a fine example of that with moments of stunning ambient and melancholy interspersed with fierce vocals and a bursts of blast beats as two extremes collide. Arguably the most atmospheric of the tunes this one truly does help you breathe more easily with Knutsen’s venomous tongue spitting fire and brimstone throughout. Creating something of epic grandeur in Extreme Metal is not beyond Intet either as grand finale “Multiple Truths” demonstrates. A lethal dose of Norwegian fury with a stunning acoustic guitar and bass interlude in the mid section that borders on flamenco, its a powerhouse offering impossible to ignore. Hopefully they can persuade Knutsen to continue working with them because together their cryptic writings are very impressive indeed [8/10]

Track Listing