There have been many great extreme metal bands from Sweden, but only one from Kalix. This remote beauty spot near the Finnish border, on the northernmost shores of the Baltic, is home to Jacob Björnfot, creative mastermind behind Kvaen (named after the folk who populated the area in the Viking era). Kvaen's third album The Formless Fires - their first for those world-renowned headhunters at Metal Blade Records - is a sumptuous but bitingly intense exploration of beauty and violence, a melodic black metal masterwork radiating an inspirational sense of place. Even more than 2020's folky, speed metal-infused debut The Funeral Pyre or 2022's compelling, expansive follow-up The Great Below, the vast pine woods and icy lakes are powerfully evoked in the elemental gloom riffs, chilly melodies and windswept solos running through these eight mighty, meaty songs.

"Because of our surroundings, bizarre weather conditions, northern lights etc help shape the way we see and hear things. It affects us more than we think," Jacob ponders, contemplating the effect of his Lapland hometown on Kvaen's exquisitely tuneful but richly atmospheric black metal. "I think it's way better to be raised here than in Stockholm for example. I never liked big cities, except for weekend visits. I don't like the big city attitude; here we are all calm and down to earth. I am in my thirties and most people have either left or returned. I am not planning on going anywhere soon. I still go to my cabin in the woods of Torne Valley and write a lot of music, especially during the winter, which can feel very long and sometimes harsh."

Assisting in this record's immersive sweep are Jacob's fascinating lyrics. Like many Swedish songwriters, his use of English reveals a love and care for the language that few native speakers even bother to rival. If this album seems less intimate and more universal than the raw candour of its predecessor, it's only because Jacob's knack for allegory has improved: "This one is just as personal but not written like an open book," says the frontman. "I always take a lot of time to write lyrics since they are very important to me. Comparing the first album to the latest I can clearly see a development in both writing and grammar. I also think my way of expressing myself has improved. I want my listeners to feel convinced."

Illuminating some of the lyrical themes, Jacob asserts "I love mythology. Basilisk is for example the king of serpents, but is rarely mentioned by the mainstream. The Perpetual Darkness is about being born different from those who are 'normal'. It is also about being a lone wolf and banished from society. That song has become a personal favourite of mine." Additionally, De Dödas Sång (Song Of The Dead) tackles the disturbing theme of Ättestupa, the ancient Norse suicide ritual whereby elderly villagers jump to their deaths from sheer precipices (graphically depicted in 2019 Swedish/American horror film Midsommar). "Lots of history going on there," comments Jacob, though he's careful to keep back the finer details. "I don't want to spoil too much; half of the fun is opening up the vinyl and reading the lyrics!"

Although his cryptic writings and vituperative vocals remain vigorously on-point, Jacob majors on the guitar, and here is the strongest improvement from what was already a high standard; guitars are utterly heroic on this LP. Ask how intensively he's been practicing over the last two years, and his answer is endearingly frank: "Honestly, not that much," he admits. "But then again, we have toured so much these past two years, and I have written so much music during that time as well, I think most of my practice time went to writing good songs - which is way more important than practicing scales and arpeggios." The accumulation of live experience - especially a six-week tour supporting Finnish gloom legends Insomnium - has surely been the keenest impetus for Kvaen's remarkable development.

As usual, Jacob has written and performed everything on The Formless Fires (except drums, resoundingly hammered by ex-Amon Amarth skin-punisher Frederik Andersson). However, there is now a stable live line-up ready to take Jacob's singular vision across the world: "Kristian and Rasmus are really amazing at learning new songs and are easy-going guys," enthuses Jacob, appraising the bandmates that he's trusted to help nurture his musical baby. "Per has a name in the Swedish underground and his image fits the band like a glove. Fredrik has tons of knowledge from his past with bands like Amon Amarth and is a killer drummer, so it's easy to say that we're on Damnation's Highway! Our goal is to be a busy band touring wise. We have some festivals across Europe, and two tours coming up by the end of 2024, and it looks like next year will be very busy as well. Into Certain Death!"

The Formless Fires features guest solos of Sebastian Ramstedt (Necrophobic) on "Traverse the Nether" and Chaq Mol (Dark Funeral) on "The Wings of Death".

This new bands are looking like AI clones of each other. It reminds me a little bit of that era of metalcore when we had thousands of bands that sounded like All That Remains and As I Lay Dying, but with generic black metal.

This band is not the sort of band who's aim is to be inventive; this ain't avant-garde black metal here. The sub-genre of melodic black metal is indeed crowded, but so is almost any other. Did you even listen to their previous records? The passion and conviction of the performances and the stellar songwriting is the reason people rave about them. If they sound like a Dissection clone to you, hey, it's your opinion at the end of the day, but if you do so just because they also operate in that meloblack field, I think you're missing the forest for the trees.

I actually love meloblack, Dissection is my favorite black metal band. Dawn, Sacramentun, Vinterland and that kind of bands are all good, Iam just a little bit tired of the state of metal, it seems like we froze the genre around the mid 2000s and stopped evolving from there. Releasing the same sounds with the same fashion, with the same aesthetic, over and over and over again and it's kind of sad.

I guess is a personal issue, I was a teen when I discovered this world, with the Iommis, the Ozzys, the Lemmys and that world is coming to an end, if not already ended, and I don't see any band surprise me in the same way as those first ones that I listened to when I was younger and God knows I have tried to. It's all good with melodic black metal, I just wish it gave me something else than a copy of what Dissection was doing 20 years ago.

Iam just a little bit tired of the state of metal, it seems like we froze the genre around the mid 2000s and stopped evolving from there.

I was a teen when I discovered this world, with the Iommis, the Ozzys, the Lemmys and that world is coming to an end, if not already ended, and I don't see any band surprise me in the same way as those first ones that I listened to when I was younger and God knows I have tried to. It's all good with melodic black metal, I just wish it gave me something else than a copy of what Dissection was doing 20 years ago.

Yeah, we know. It's a tired rhetoric, and it's quite frankly annoying when an old guy comes and whines about how there is nothing new or interesting in metal. The fact is that there is a lot of new stuff, but you're either not listening to it, not giving it a fair chance, or maybe the new directions metal is going in just isn't for you. But man, you've got to come up with something new. Nobody here gives a shit that you think it was better in the 70's and 80's with Sabbath, Priest, Maiden and Metallica. By the way, these albums all still exist, so if you hate all this new stuff, you're free to revisit your favorites from the "golden age" or metal or whatever. These albums aren't going anywhere.

Iam not old, Iam a millennial actually, my metal generation was the 2000s/2010s. I have heard most of the stuff that you shared in the forum, including the last Dvne album for example. I gave the new bands a fair chance, but I don't like most of the stuff, I think it sounds very similar to older bands but in a worst copycat way, modern metal isn't very creative to be honest.

I also don't really give a shit, if you think that metal is in a better state than ever, as you said sometime, I don't see it in that way. I listen to the classics every now and then, but I want to find something new that is good to my ears, sadly very few modern bands got my interest. I also share new stuff sometimes, so don't break my balls Heavenduff.

When you say something like "modern metal isn't very creative" it does rub people the wrong way because, well, I'm sorry mate, but it just ain't the case.
Then on top of that you go on that Dimmu thread to defend one of the most creatively bankrupt band in the history of the genre... it just seems that it's you who is stuck in the past, it seems. Sticking to symphonic BM, have you heard Katharos' 2022 record, for instance? Probably not. Please do so and then tell me with a straight face that it's not top symphonic BM, something that even peak Emperor would be proud / jealous, and miles better than most of Dimmu's offerings, IMO.
Point is, there's plenty of bands doing cool stuff with familiar formulas - Kvaen being a perfectly example - and there's also a shit load of original artists releasing wacky music. It might not resonate with you, and that's fine. But just because you can't connect with new music, doesn't mean that the genre as a whole stopped being able to be creative. Also... there comes a time when it takes A LOT to truly surprise a veteran because, well, we're fucking veterans! When we're first getting exposure, everything is fresh and original and crazy sounding, etc... perhaps that's the case here.