Gudinnen is the debut album of Norwegian black metal band Skade. The album is a love letter to the original Norwegian wave of black metal, while still pushing the black metal sound in new and innovative directions. From the opening soft piano chords of Alltid våke which transitions into a chaotic and intense soundscape, it is clear that SKADE has found its own voice.
The interplay between quiet and loud is a recurring musical theme throughout the album. In the song Misnøye, a slow and hypnotic bass coupled with a quiet piano part lulls you into a false sense of calmness that is immediately shattered when the blaring guitars and blast beats enter. The dynamic sound ensures that the quiet parts accentuate the loud parts and make them even more intense.
The album features lyrics in Norwegian, as well as one song partly in English (Forbitret) and one in Old Norse (Gudinnen Skade). The main themes of the lyrics are misanthropy, resentment, and death. Many of these themes are explored through a framework of Norse mythology, where old Norse myths are retold and twisted in new ways. This all culminates in the final song Gift med havet which gathers together all the threads of the previous songs.