The promise is of a land of contrasts – black and white, with no mid tempo. The promise is delivered over the course of this intensely dark production from Swedish band Svärta.
Long cavernous screams and raw-sounding drum work signal visions of nastiness. “Bråddjupets Kall” is atmospheric, 1990s style black metal. It’s as if Dead has risen from the dead. The fury subsides and a minimalist guitar section ensues. They’re not wrong about contrasts. Meandering filthy grime takes us into “Hädanfärdens Sigill”. An unwavering riff accompanies the echoing growls. The ambience reminded of me of Svärta’s fellow countrymen Arckanum and Svartsyn. This is black metal at its ugliest. It then descends into funereal doom and gloom. Spooky and violent greyness takes over, while echoing moans add to the occasion.
After “Gift”, a slow and swampy interlude, “Våndans Högborg” maintains a sleepy pace with strangely melancholic and reflective start. Finally it bursts into impenetrable darkness, first through thrusting violence and then in a begrudgingly painful way. Voices come from the cavern. This is the Svärta way. The downtrodden openings of “Förrutnelsens Ljuva Nektar” yield to noise-driven fury and spooky wails. The clouds change to dark and chasmic scenes, echoing voids and moans as the instruments play on solemnly. “Det Sublima Lidandet” finishes the album and starts with an exotic guitar line, which serves as backing to further sweeping devastation and frostiness before a strange drone takes over.
I read a comparison between Svärta and Dødheimsgard. I can see that. “Sepultus” is experimental to the point of being about black atmospheres and experimentation at the expense of having any discernible form. It has unique qualities. The echoing soundscapes and old school black metal styles are interesting but the composition of all these segments didn’t really work for me.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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