Svarti Loghin - Drifting Through the Void
Full-length, ATMF, April 16th, 2010
New school Swedish black metal is pretty much known for being super depressive and suicidal. Maybe above all, negative is the best word to describe their scene. Bands like Shining and Hypothermia have made quite a name for themselves in this niche genre. But one name that has really got a lot of attention over the past few years is Lifelover. A band of suicidal, drug-addicted, self-mutilating folk playing black metal influenced 'rock' music. I admittedly have found a deep fondness for what Lifelover does, but as the case with any kind of music, once one unique band gets heavy exposure, a million other bands, trying to sound like them, explode on to the scene. These bands pack promo bins and distro catalogs with their garbage releases, which make finding the real exceptional acts that much harder to find.
Svarti Loghin is not really a new band, they have been together since 2006, have one demo and one full-length already under their belts. With their sophomore album 'Drifting Through The Void', SL have found themselves treading the same waters as the above mentioned Lifelover. SL combine the aesthetic of black metal, but play it in the framework of a mix of shoe-gaze, indie rock, post-punk and alt-county (oh yes, there are country-like moments on this album). At first listen I was not completely sure of how to feel about Svarti Loghin. The deeper I analyzed the album, the more appreciation I found for it. While they do sound like Lifelover, they really do manage to put their own twist on the sound. I really love the alt-country elements and clean sung passages they have implemented, they are impeccably well-done. There is an almost narcotic styled haze around this record, since it is very laid back for the most part. I am not completely sure this album could be regarded as 'metal', the only real metal part is in the howled dsbm-style vocals scattered throughout the album.
The albums production is fantastic, not over-produced, but clean enough to hear all the instruments fully. The whole thing has a very organic and natural sound, which for this kind of music, really works quite well. The distorted guitar tone is mid-range-y and warm, the clean guitar is spacious, the drums are mixed well enough so they are not buried in the mix and the vocals, while not being completely in-your-face, are balanced to the point where they are not annoying/over-bearing. A very well balanced, clean and modern sounding production.
I found this album to be quite enjoyable the more I listened to it. I constantly found more and more hidden elements in the album, each time I went through it. I was pretty impressed with the overall presentation of this record. I only found myself having two complaints; the album cover is oddly very much like the cover for Caina's Some People Fall and the cover version of Planet Caravan (originally by Black Sabbath). While the cover is well-done, it just comes off as kind of pointless. I would have rather heard another original song.
Good album, definitely recommend to fans of Lifelover or just for people who enjoy a bit more 'rock' in their black metal. Looking forward to hearing more from this band in the future.
Reviewed by E. - 7.5/10
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