Vildhjarta “Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar”
Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar releases May 30th on Century Media
Sweden’s Vildhjarta made an impact when forming in 2005. Taking their influence and inspiration from fellow Swed’s and djent founders Meshuggah, the band would fine-tune and refining their sound. Finally releasing their debut album Måsstaden in 2011. On that release, the band would create what the band calls the “thall” sound. A sound soaked in down-tuned, djent-style guitars combined with harmonic minor chord progressions and jarring staccato riffs. The band would follow that album up almost ten years later with Måsstaden under vatten. Upon release, it received praise and recognition from critics. With many of the comments citing the band’s even more well-produced thall sound and musical creativity and heaviness.
Now, four years later, fans are frothing at the mouth for the band’s upcoming third album Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar. With back to back pummeling releases of heavy, down-tuned chugginess and musical complexity, can the band make it three for three?
The album opens with the track "Byta ut alla stjärnor på himlen mot plustecken". With ominous, eerie and anxiety inducing strings, the song builds on that horror movie-like tension as the song slowly builds. With disjointed, thumping bass strums and pounding double bass continues the dark and broody build. Buster Odeholm begins to get a blast beat section and short solo, before the guitars and bass of Calle Thomér create a trippy, dark ambience. Like the listener is somehow ascending and descending on a bad drug trip. A barrage of highs and lows on this instrumental opening track. "Två vackra svanar" has vocalist Vilhelm Bladin officially join the band, as the constant barrage of cannon-like drum hits and chaotic guitars, segueing into clean tones and warping effects, creates a true sporadic and chaotic listening experience. As every guitar strike is hard to predict or forsee musically where its going. Though chaotic, the guitars and drums create a unique time-signature groove throughout the forays of peaceful, angelic ambience and atmosphere, to guitars soaked with so much bass that every strike is soaked in so much weight and distortion.
"Sargasso" continues the down-tuned assault right from the get-go. With dive-bombs and bending chugs, to start/stop cymbal strikes. Hostile in its delivery, the addition of Bladin’s quiet whispers and gritty growls try to add so much more punch, but get buried in the mix beneath the walls of bass and downtuned heaviness of the production. Booming, warping-effect heavy bass helps build the upcoming build as Odeholm gets a short little drum lead before the chugging, and unrelenting breakdown just hits like a tidal wave of thundering bass. Bladin’s clean vocals at the halfway mark, before being accented by his growls are a perfect mix for that piece. The dissonance and ringing bass lingers throughout as the slowed-down pacing continues for the remainder of the track.
On "Ylva", lead guitars pierces through the distortion as the groove has a slower-tempo, but in a more doom/post-metal aesthetic like Neurosis. Bladin’s clean vocals are mixed well on the track, with his vocals appearing higher in the mix to add more impact amongst the ringing chaos of the guitars. The breakdown before the three-minute mark is straight up progressive metal in the most technical way in the chaotic nature of the guitar and time-signature pieces during that section. Segueing into another downtuned soak breakdown with soaring leads that just barely keep their head above water in the sea of bass and distortion. "Där mossan möter havet" is the most djent sounding track off the album so far. With so much effect-heavy sections, palm-muted chugging that rings heavily in a good pair of headphones and the distinct syncopation of the drumming. Complex in arrangement and diverse in delivery, it also showcases the band’s mutation of djent with their thall sound.
"? Regnet, the ?" has a nice contrast throughout the song. With moments of pummeling deathcore, brooding and unrelenting modern metal, and djent/thall heavy guitars and drums. The visceral disgust in Bladin’s growls are top-notch on the track. I can picture the fans slow headbanging along throughout the song. As clean vocals and clean leads peak through, it continues the band’s scope of complexity and diversity in their sound.
On the band’s third album, Vildhjarta did deliver that defining thall sound on this album. Heavy, brutal, breakdown heavy and complex guitar playing makes it an instant headbanger of an album. I do have some critiques with the album though unfortunately. There was some mixing issues, with Bladin’s vocals being a key point. Many of his growl vocal sections were just swallowed up by the layering and layering of guitars and bass. Losing the effect that his vocals and lyrics could convey in the music. Secondly, I do like Vildhjarta, but I felt that many of the songs became one note or too similar. I don’t wanna say the dreaded “bored” word, but there were some moments that the song could have ended or trim some of the fat/bloat and the songs would have more impact and wrap up better. An issue I have with prog metal is bands not knowing when to stop the track before they lose the listener’s attention. At almost an hour though, and with this style of music, it can wain and drain the listener’s attention and focus.
SCORE: 4 / 5
You can purchase on the band’s Bandcamp or stream the album on their Spotify.
