Svartsyn - Black Testament

Published May 27 2013

*=Staff's pick	Intro Revelation In The Waters Venom Of The Underworld* Demoness With Seven Names* Carving A Temple* Eyes Of The Earth Rising Beast Black Testament

Genre	Black Metal	Ornias	Vocals
Tracks	8	Ornias	Guitar
Running time	43 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Agonia Records	-	Bass
Release	28 May 2013	Hammermann	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboard
Producer	Dennis Israel
Similar artists	Bathory, Watain, Deathspell Omega

Svartsyn is one of those bands who has been lurking in the underground for decades releasing a steady stream of quality albums. Starting out with a rather standard black metal formula time has seen Svartsyn adopting a quite unique and interesting sound. Their last effort 'Wrath upon the Earth' was a rather uninspiring piece and it remained to be seen whether 'Black Testament' would serve as a return to form or another step towards deterioration.

Following a violin-driven ominous intro, Svartsyn's rather unique combination of simple repetitive black metal riffs with underlying hooks and twists hit the speakers. The primitive roots of black metal yet again meet their progressive descendants in a chaotic yet beautiful harmony. Sort of a Bathory meets Deathspell Omega kind of sound. Like the latter the darkness and misery of the music does not come from an aggressive and hateful surface, but from deep within.

The underlying hooks sometimes reach a level a technical intricacy where they resemble the structures of technical death metal masters such as Suffocation, for instance in 'Carving a Temple' and the title track. Such multifaceted music could easily turn into a cacophony of sounds had it not been for the brilliant production. Raw and dirty on the surface but razor-sharp beneath, it allows for every nuance to be heard and should serve as a textbook production for complex black metal!

The tempo varies throughout the album but it is during the mid-paced sections the hooks, twists and turns are best heard and the emotions really go through to roof. Just listen to 'Demoness with Seven Names' and you will get the point. The vocals are well articulated and almost spoken at times, not unlike Erik Danielsson of Watain. Parts of the album sees the vocals in somewhat of a battle with the rest of the music as in Beherit's 'Drawing Down the Moon'. Due to its complexity 'Black Testament' is not the most accessible of black metal albums upon first listen, but well worth giving a few spins to settle.

Svartsyn's music is not only great black metal but a soundtrack to an inner chaotic journey. When the title track declares the album coming to an end it is clear that 'Black Testament' surely follows that path. Although not their strongest album to date, this sure is a progression compared to its predecessor.