Routaterä is a Finnish duo consisting of Magus Olaus, also known from Kaikkiivaltias, on all instruments, and Theodorius Abregius on vocals. Routaterä roughly translates to “frozen steel,” as in the steel of a sword, and Ikuinen Jää means “eternally frozen.”
These pagan winter spells were composed between 2017 and 2025, and were chanted aloud starting in early winter 2025. This is pretty much all the information I could find about this band on the World Wide Web.
With Ikuinen Jää, these Finns present their first demo—raw, misanthropic Black Metal that reminds me of their fellow countrymen Beherit in terms of sound.
After the intro Pakanalinen Sokakomento, we immediately dive into Routaterän Kutsu, where you can hear influences from other Finnish bands like early Impaled Nazarene, all wrapped in a gritty and noisy production, supported by a synthesizer.
With the title track Ikuinen Jää, things start off a bit more delicate before transitioning into a sort of breakbeat. This almost feels like a Finnish Black ‘N’ Bass, which is quite refreshing. Naturally, the tempo picks up further along. Judging by the playing, this seems to be one of the later tracks, as the composition is more varied than the previous one.
The closer, Rauta-aika, is another solid up-tempo Black Metal track. The addition of a campfire and an accompanying acoustic guitar section rounds out the picture. It gives off early Satyricon vibes, reminiscent of their first two albums.
With Ikuinen Jää, Routaterä hasn’t fully convinced me yet, but let’s see if these guys resurface in the future or if this demo remains their only mark on the scene.
75/100
Routarerä:
Bandcamp