This was my first introduction to the Bristol band, named for the Norwegian Arctic territory known for its darkness. Their fourth album has been picked up by Nuclear Blast. There are elements of the Gothenburg melodeath sound, but various other inspirations can be picked up across the release. I have seen the band categorised in some places as “blackened post-hardcore”, though for me it’s more of a metal than hardcore sound.
On first listen I noticed the commanding screamed vocals and haunting choruses with the drums keeping the action rolling throughout. The lyrical inspiration is mainly provided by Serena Cherry’s ongoing battles with depression. This is not new ground for the band, with their previous albums titled When I Die, Will I Get Better?, It’s Hard to Have Hope and One Day All This Will End.
She has poured these intense emotions and experiences into the vocals, opening up with “Faking It”, which covers the concept of masking, putting on the happy face while it’s quite the opposite inside. “I don’t recognise that smile, how is it so convincing?”
The four piece seem to create a sound that would need more members to create. Cherry and Liam Phelan are both on guitar duties. They regularly swirl to a crescendo with Mark Lilley blasting away behind them. “Eternal Spirits”, a tribute to Joey Jordinson, leans more towards the breakdown sound and it’s in those crunching guitar sounds you can see some of their more metalcore influences.
Midway through the album, “How to Swim Down” gives pause to the screaming element, with Phelan playing the violin himself for the dark sounding but uplifting track. “The Weight of the World” is the closer and the lyrical content is more of a tribute to survival. Day by day survival.
With this being their first album on Nuclear Blast, I’m sure there are bigger and better things to come for this band and I’ll be keeping an eye on what they do from here.
Svalbard: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Category: Album
Country: UK
Reviewed by Daniel Boyle
