Blimey this lot work quickly! I only reviewed the Swedes (album length) EP Sommar at the end of last year and that came rather swiftly from previous album Host earlier in the year and here they are again. Not that I’m complaining. Actually I did a bit on the last one, as I found the production a little bit on the odd side describing it as “overbearing with everything pushed to the max”. Sound wise Längtan is still a little odd with shrill pitches and reverberating parts especially in some of the vocals but I found it a lot more accessible than its predecessor with a lot more defined clarity within the way it’s recorded. Still it is an eccentric mix but I guess that is the way that the band like to do things and the music itself is certainly a bit on the strange side itself. Background wise this lot play a highly avant-garde and expressive style of black metal which no doubt many would look on as bordering on the DSBM side of things; sure it is depressive and suicidal but also at times revelling in uplifting and even joyous in parts almost laughing in the face of death itself. The band were joined in 2012 by J Gabrielson and J. Ottosson after the death of former companion Jonas Bergqvist effectively put Lifelover on ice.
Confirming what I pretty much said the band issued a statement declaring “With “Längtan, we have each sought, either with our words or our music, to give voice to our hatred of life. And our love of life.” So with that in mind this is a very emotional listen, at over an hour in length it’s a pretty damn long one too with the 12 numbers lingering in your head long after it has finished playing. Track by track dissection is far from necessary here although this is not an exercise with everything sounding similar in the slightest but it is the cohesive display of moods and emotions the music projects that needs to be considered more than anything else. The vocals are maddening at times and on first number ‘Svartsint ömhet’ for example they sound like the crazed babblings of a lunatic in a straightjacket as they scream, yell and gibber with a large echoing effect on them. Music itself is expertly played and not what one would necessarily expect if they had not listened to the band or their ilk before. Everything here is really clear in the mix with glistening guitar work and a massive sense of melody. It’s at times almost classical in the guitar work and it is also really lush and even breath-taking in the way it both invigorates and at opposite ends of the spectrum conveys sense of nihilistic futility and despair. You easily lose yourself as the songs unspool but are constantly reminded that there is madness at the very heart of this due to the never ending lunacy from the vocals. As much as I like them it would be nice to listen to the music in a totally instrumental way (perhaps that’s a thought for the future) although there are some long passages where you are able to do just that.
Another thing that I keep thinking is that there is an underlying air of folk amidst some of the instrumentation. It’s a weird thing and not any of that metal folk stuff in the slightest but airs and graces of more traditional flavours peppering the melody. Maybe it’s flavoured by the band’s Swedish folklore and traditions but it is not something that as an outsider I can explain properly. Looking into things as far as lyrical concept is concerned there are a couple of English titles and translation engine does the rest with the likes of ‘Where Eternity Awaits Me’ ‘Insanity Everyday’ and ‘Narcotic Dejection’ painting a particularly vivid picture. Despite the way the vocals are projected there are actual properly defined lyrics to the songs, you would probably need to be a) Swedish and b) mad and c) on the right meds to decipher them; look them up and you can do some further research though.
Naturally there is not a lot that sounds like Vanhelga although Lifelover, Faulnis and Shining are somewhat similar and I think if anyone not au fait with bands such as this gave it a listen they would be in for a big surprise; whether a good or bad one would be very much down to the listener. I’m cutting this review off here rather than trying to tap further into the minds of Vanhelga. I will say though that this is by far the most cohesive work of theirs that I have heard and it’s a fascinating and gorgeous listen for those that want to look into its very troubled head. It’s not genius bordering on madness but genius that’s gone way over the edge! The artwork by Juanjo Castellano Rosado is every bit as awe inspiring as the music too!
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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