“Imagine yourself by a campfire underneath the open sky, far away from the rattling of society. Nearby you notice a raven spreading its wings; croaking as it solemnly stares out across the surrounding landscape. As you turn you can hear a fox crying out in the distance, followed by what can be perceived as a drum beat derived from the earth itself. This is FLYKT, an escape from the world such as humanity has let it become – neglected and abused….”
So begins the media release that accompanies this 5 track release from Forndom, and while I normally give the blurb a wide berth, it paints such a vivid picture of the music that if feels right to include it in the review. This is not simply a CD to throw into the player and have as casual background music – This is an experience, an intense musical journey banishing us to the Sudemannia planes of Southern Sweden and its medieval churches, runestones and gravefields, home to Forndom creator and artist L. Sward. Flykt is music to be absorbed, that demands your full attention, and yet at the same time requires you to disconnect from everything and let it wash over you.
The ambient soundscapes with subtle choirs and chanting (bordering on Gregorian at times), set atop swathes of atmospheric, haunting melodies and percussion akin to a slow heartbeat, create an air of melancholy and self-reflection that take me back to winter nights under the stars in the bitter cold of the wilds of northern Scandinavia, where the crackle of a dying fire, and the final dances of its flames silhouetting the snow covered forest seem to be all that is left in the world, casting its spell, captivating, mesmerising, enchanting and luring in the unwary.
While this is clearly not black metal, or metal at all, to me there is more black metal spirit with this release than many of the modern day corpse painted clones.
Flykt is not one for singing along to on the way to your next gig, nor is it one to pick your favourite track and set it on repeat. This is to be savoured and experienced in its entirety, daring the listener to become fully immersed in its morose beauty and in doing becoming ensnared in the lugubrious world of Forndom.
(9/10 Andy Pountney)
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