Independent Artist – 2024 – Sweden
The first full-length album from Sweden’s Svartlod is a new rising force in the black metal scene. These eight songs tell the story of a disintegrating religious cult and all the tragedies and events associated with it. (Based on a true story)).
Svartlod is not a very old band. They are a black metal band that managed to release 3 singles in the last 2 years, and the one I am listening to right now is the band’s first album. The title of their album is The Reverend.
The album started a bit like Khold with a mid-tempo tempo and I like black metal at this tempo. It is a successful introduction with rhythmic song traffic and prominent vocal performance, but there were also Silencer-style vocals and compositions in the songs I listened to before.
I can say that they divided the album into two parts. The first part is more modern and mid-tempo, and the second part is closer to classic Swedish black metal, aggressive and fast. The insanity and depressive vocal screams are really impressive, but at the same time, the supporting choral vocals they use in the background are a bit unsuccessful and out of place.
I found the vocal style on The Devilish Reckoning Sound and I Am The Way more impressive. I am the Way uses direct Silencer vocals. The song is again mid-tempo and depressive, but The Devilish Reckoning Sound gives the atmosphere of Swedish Black Metal. The speed, anger, and composition traffic structure are really successful.
The general mood of the album is quite good, but if you ask if it’s top-notch, of course not. Svartlod is still an amateur band. But in the future, they will improve themselves even more and establish their performance and musical identity. Because I think they have been under a lot of influences in their albums. It can be said that they were undecided about whether to do suicidal black metal, classic Swedish black metal, or something mid-tempo. However, they managed to overcome basic issues such as recording quality and the integrity of the compositions. The vocalist presented us with a combination of various black metal styles as a performance.
To make a long story short, Svartlod seems to be at the beginning of their journey, maybe with a better quality recording and drum machine they can make a better name for themselves in future albums. I find their image a bit mediocre at the moment, but as I said, Svartlod, which is open to development and has musicians with high skills, has signed a successful black metal album for me.
My advice to the band is to try to offer a more physical product, not through Instagram or Spotify. If they produce material such as CDs, t-shirts, etc., and perform live, they can create a fan base after interacting with the audience.
On May 9th, 2024, the cover of this album is quite simple… If I get the chance to interview the band, you can be sure that I will send various questions.
7,5/10
