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Black Debbath: Welcome to Norway

The first thing you need to know about Black Debbath is that they sound just like Black Sabbath (or just like them if they were current and Norwegian). Lars Loenning’s vocals, while featuring a mild accent (as well as occasionally dropping some Norwegian words in there), and not quite so high-pitched, are uncannily like Ozzy’s at times, and the guitar tone is pure low-tuned, doom-flavoured Iommi. The tempos may be on the whole a touch faster, and the arrangements perhaps leaning more toward Kyuss than Sabbath, but it certainly follows their tradition and spirit closely.

You remember the opening of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids? That ‘if you’re not careful, you might learn something!’ That’s a warning that could easily be applied to Welcome to Norway, for this is indeed a pocket guide to Norway – traditions, history, notable figures, foods, and other such tourist information – ‘the hardest rocking tourist guide to Norway!’ as the back cover proclaims. I’d like to note that you really should buy a copy of this, as the CD booklet is one of the best I’ve seen, designed just like a booklet you might pick up at a tourism booth, with colour-coded entries on History, Places to Go, Things to See, Culture, and Practical Information, with an index at the end for quick reference. Each song’s lyrics are accompanied with an introduction and explanation of purpose, plus useful diagrams such as the dance steps to the ‘kick-down-the-hat-dance.’ Additionally, the band members are pictured in museum dioramas with notable Norwegian fauna, and the back of the booklet is a map of Norway at, necessarily, 1:666 scale.

So what are we in danger of learning? Regarding history, the vikings were rock stars before rock, and they only raped and pillaged out of the boredom of not having electric guitars and Led Zeppelin records (’so if you hate rock and roll, then you know who to blame’). “Mongo Norway” is a guide to Oslo’s best nightspots, and reminds us ’smoget’ means danger (the ‘don’t go in that door’ sequence is heavily reminiscent of the first Sabbath album). We are introduced to Martin Skancke (‘the coolest man in Norway’), a 70-year-old race car driver who is the ultimate badass. We are offered traditional Norwegian fare like head of lamb, whale penis, and blood pudding, but not, they stress, deep-fried anus (‘too much calories and too much fat!’). They model the national costume, the Bunad (‘with my Bunad on I am unbeatable!’) and teach us the kick down the hat dance. They give us a required reading list of Norwegian authors (Kielland, Ibsen, Lie, and Hallbing – of the four, I’m afraid I’ve only read Ibsen). They explain the rules regarding smoking (and that ‘Sweden, Denmark, and Finland are considered to be very good ashtrays or even spittoons’) and what to do in case of emergency, and finally, provide us with a few useful Norwegian phrases such as ‘Is there a sober person here, who can answer some easy questions?’ and ‘I need some plague and cholera medicine.’

Most importantly, while this is a dubiously educational and very funny album, it’s also a pretty kick-ass heavy rock album. Big, deep, churning Sabbath-influenced riffs, punk irreverence, and sly humour. An excellent combination.

***1/2

~ by jshopa on October 16, 2008.