Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Svarti Loghin - Drifting Through the Void (2010)


As another band riding the wave of music tying the line between shoegaze, post-punk, and depressive-suicidal black metal, it's hard to say that Swedish (I think) band Svarti Loghin is really treading any new ground. A review would almost work just as well just to describe the general sound of most bands performing within these bounds. Although the sound is certainly not as harsh as the comparable bands working with that black metal influence, the songs are bittersweet, the atmospheres are lush, and the screams are full of anguish and foreboding.

I do suppose that most of their uniqueness is with those vocals, though. I can't discuss too much on whether this is the style of the band or just this album, as I read that there are guest musicians, and I haven't been able to check Svarti Loghin's earlier album, but combined with the screams are clean vocals, almost reminiscent to Eddie Vedder, or any number of the vocalists from the early "grunge" movement. Surprisingly enough, it works well with the music. Unlike Pearl Jam, these clean vocals sounds more as it's straining to sound above the music. It almost works within itself to exude feelings of alienation and "drowning in sorrow", with the screams symbolic of an escape into oneness.

All that aside, it is good. While they don't really do enough to set them into any position of "must listen" for the genre, they do have enough to give them a unique *feel*. If you're a fan of bands like Thränenkind, Alcest or Amesoeurs, it's worth a listen, and considering how soft it is in comparison to the genre, it might be a decent place to go for "indie rockers" looking to get a feel for the style.

Also, there is a nice rendition of Black Sabbath's Planet Caravan, within. You could claim that it works against the band by including a cover, but I'll leave that as a personal judgment.


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