SVARTI LOGHIN – “Drifting Through the Void”
July 10th, 2010
SVARTI LOGHIN – Drifting Through the Void
Full-length, ATMF
April 16th, 2010
Post – Black Metal
9,5/10
… I knew from the very first seconds of Kosmisk Tomhet, that I was going to love this album. But let’s just proceed in an orderly fashion. First and foremost, the music on Drifting Through the Void, the second output from these Swedish (their debut, entitled Empty World, came out in 2008), is not the kind of album that anyone can easily get into, or that can be enjoyed by an average listener. It’s an album which takes a special frame of mind in order to fully perceive it and eventually come to appreciate it. It’s daring. Genre-defying. Thought provoking. Whereas Alcest legitimized the meltdown of traditional Black Metal and Post Rock/Shoegaze elements packed in an unusual mood, and bands like Lantlôs, Les Discrets and the likes continued along the same lines, reinterpreting their formula with their own style, Svarti Loghin, especially in this second offer, which represents a more mature and multifaceted experience if compared to their exordium, definitely push the boundaries forward in an eclectic, impudent and exacerbated way, elevating their creation to heights that few dare to explore.
To put it simple, what Svarti Loghin did on this release is to twist their former take on Black Metal (Empty World already showcased the band’s will to experiment, yet their creativity was somehow held back and the approach displayed sounded interesting, but timorous), bravely tossing in a myriad of diverse and almost incongruent influences coming not only from Post – Rock and British Shoegaze, but also from Pop Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Indie, Alternative, Country and even Seattle Grunge. The kaleidoscopic melting-pot derived from this odd combination gets to sound anything but sparse, and rather results in an striking stream of emotions, moods and shifts that force the listener to pay close attention rather than just absent-mindedly hear. Most of all, it’s something one either comes to love or hate, for the reasons I’ve just listed.
The album starts with Red Sun Sets, a short, hypnotic intro setting the mood for the already mentioned Kosmisk Tomhet, the first actual song of the tracklist, starting with a slow, laid back pace that evolves into a rock structure, where the heavily distorted guitars trace a soaring, dreamlike melody unexpectedly topped with clean, Eddie Vedder – styled vocals interspersed with tortured, high pitched screaming, the latter surprisingly contrasting with the serene and heart-warming feel of the song. Ödelagd Framtid exposes the gloomiest side of Svarti Loghin’s sound, drawing it closer to the most depressive strains of Black Metal, but with the band’s undeniable twist. Drifting Through the Void, the title track is another atypical, almost radio-friendly number (if it wasn’t for its almost schizophrenic traverse through the musical spectrum), with upbeat moments , soothing arpeggios, the already mentioned combination of catchy clean vocal lines and harsh screaming, and various deviations towards an apocalyptic and darker riffing that once again brings back the Black Metal influences in the mix. There’s also room for a doomy/country (!) interlude that precedes the return to the main theme of the song. Nightsky Interlude is what the name suggest, an interlude mostly consisting in ambiance and disquieting sounds that gives way into the beautiful Bury my Heart in these Starlit Waters. Next comes a convincing cover of Black Sabbath’s timeless classic Planet Caravan, stripped of almost all the spacey and trippy atmosphere replaced with a more ‘indie’ feeling, resulting in an experiment very much fitting the atmosphere of the whole album, and the conclusive Stargazer.
As I previously stated, this release is not for everyone. If you feel ready to immerge yourself in an album that makes Burzum, Xasthur and Alcest cohabit with Pearl Jam, early Dandy Warhols, Jefferson Airplane, then the listening may be rewarding and you might even come to discover one of your new favourite bands. It’s up to you.