Ever since the release of last year's ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ, I have not been able to stop listening to Arckanum. Although I'm quite fond of Shamaatae's (Arckanum's only member) earlier albums, I immediately thought ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ would be the final breakthrough that Arckanum needed in order to gain worldwide recognition as one of the leading artists in the black metal scene. Keep in mind, Shamaatae has not made significant changes to his sound since the band's inception. Instead, he has been refining the same formula over and over, giving Arckanum a distinct and easily recognizable sound. One thing that sets ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ and Svege Læ (yes, I'm getting to it...I just want to say some Þositive things about the band first) apart from Arckanum's other albums is their crisp Þroduction quality, which brings out Shamaatae's vivacious, high-noted riffs and his tumultuous blitzkrieg of blasting and double bass. In fact, I am so adamant about ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ that I've embarked on a life-long journey to make sure this album does not go unnoticed by anyone. To say it fell through the cracks (even here at Metal Review) would be an understatement. Not to mention, it's also quite fun to say:
"Hey, Reverend Campbell, how 'bout last year's Arckanum, eh?"
"Which one, ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ?"
"Yeah! THTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHATS the one!"
If ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ stands out as the Goliath of Arckanum's discography, let's just say Sviga Lae is its mildly retarded nephew. Very few bands (Krallice, Anaal Nathrakh) are capable of Þroducing quality records within a year of their Þredecessors, which is why I immediately began to worry upon discovering that Arckanum had signed to Regain Records and would deliver a new album shortly thereafter. That doesn't mean Regain is to blame for any of this, but to say Sviga Lae feels rushed would be an understatement. Surely, the riffs that are there aren't bad, but each song contains very little variation. Where ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ had three to four different earth-shattering riffs within the first minute or two of each of its songs, Sviga Lae's are monotonous, unnecessarily long and far too dragged-out. Not to mention, what riffs there are contain duller notes, which drone over the listener in a very non-hypnotic and non-stimulating manner. "Goðin Eru Blekkt" is one of Sviga Lae's lengthier tracks (about eleven minutes) and is the first to show signs of the emotion I'm used to hearing in Shamaatae's ballads. Unfortunately, the song could Þrobably be cut in two, as the latter part of the song is merely a repetition of the song's former half. "Gramr Girnisk," which is (thankfully) the only other song over six minutes, follows the exact same suit. Even those who have been die-hard fans of the band since its inception will probably wonder what would be the Þoint of going any further than this. Believe me, the final three tracks (especially the closer) are a tattoo artist's equivalent of a negative space tribal encompassed by more negative space. (I heard someone request this once. The tattoo artist at the front desk scratched his head, and promptly asked, "So you don't want a tattoo, then?" Needless to say, the man walked out of the store, undoubtedly feeling quite embarrassed.)
Let's take a step back and look at the big Þicture for a quick second. Yes, Sviga Lae is definitely missing a few chromosomes for whatever reason. Þerhaps Shamaatae was under too much Þressure to release a follow up to a masterpiece, or maybe he just couldn't find his cool mask that he usually wears. Something to also consider is the fact that Sethlans Teitan (Dissection, Watain, Aborym) Þlayed guest guitars on both ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ and Antikosmos. If that's the missing piece, Shamaatae should seriously consider inviting Teitan to become a full-time member of Arckanum. Can one still be optimistic about Arckanum's future? Absolutely. The good news is that Arckanum hasn't made any drastic changes to its music; so there's no reason to believe a future release couldn't be just as Þowerful as ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ. Beyond any technical analysis I could make, the biggest thing that Sviga Lae lacks is heart. Hopefully, Shamaatae goes back to whatever chaotic or anti-cosmic god's he's used to worshiping and gets in the right mindset before shitting out another album too quickly. Until then, anything I write about Arckanum will be nothing more than a Þropaganda Þiece for ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ.
Originally written for MetalReview.com
Formed in 1992 in Mora, Sweden, Arckanum’s sole member Shamaatae has just released his sixth full-length since 1995. Arckanum’s music has gained more and more popularity over the last few years, with the release of 2008′s Antikosmos and 2009′s ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ. Both albums, highly respected by both fans and critics, have put Arckanum back to the forefront of black metal, and for good reason. For those who have yet to hear anything by this artist, it could be described as well-crafted and properly produced black metal, usually played in a mid-pace tempo. For anyone who’s heard Shamaatae’s last two albums and enjoyed them, you can go on right ahead and get yourself Sviga Læas it doesn’t feature any drastic changes from said albums.
To be perfectly honest, Arckanum’s music can be aptly described as memorable. Every song bears a sort of hypnotic anthem-like quality which upon the early listenings can seem like it will fade away quickly, but as is the case with albums of this type, the individual tracks end up growing on the listener and meaning more and more after each listen. For instance, In Følva Felr may at first seem like a song that will only be appreciate upon the first listen, but after a few spins you can notice that it bears this undefinable quality, which ultimately makes the song become memorable.
However, this isn’t the type of album I’d listen to hours on end. As someone who enjoyed the two previous albums but didn’t become obsessed with them, I’d have a hard time telling which tracks are on this album and which tracks were on last year’s ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ . Listeners who love this music to death will most likely feel different about this, but as someone who just appreciates the music, that’s how it is. Still, Sviga Læ is a properly executed black metal album which, if you haven’t heard Arckanum yet, will have you wanting for more. In terms of production and guitar tone, Satanic Warmaster comes to mind. It’s something about the type of riffs to the distorted guitar, which to me are very reminiscent of SW. I found the clean closer Røk to be quite dull and uninspired, but the other 34 minutes of this album are pretty much in the vein of…other Arckanum albums.
That’s pretty much the jist of it: if you already know and like Arckanum, then go right ahead. If you don’t know them yet and like mid-paced black metal in the vein of Satanic Warmaster and the likes, get this or any of the past two albums. It’s properly executed, well-written and perfectly produced, and contains all the essential elements that make an album enjoyable.
Originally written for http://metalreviews0.wordpress.com/.
Arckanum's ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ was easily among my favorite black metal releases last year, a stunning proof of concept that marked a new career height. Somehow, Shamaatae was able to wring a savage emotional ballast and superior songwriting out of a very simplistic series of riffs, and the crushing tone of the album was unlike any he had wrought before. Sviga Læ doesn't deviate far from that prior full-length, with a similar density of streaming, hostile guitars that twine very basic rhythms into atmospheric, mesmerizing patterns that celebrate its subject matter, two champions of destruction and chaos among the Norse pantheon: Surtr the fire giant and Loki the trickster god, and the burning perdition they will help reap across the brows of the Gods.
Riff by riff, Sviga Læ is not the equal of its predecessor, and I found it took a number of tracks before I started to feel that same level of engrossment. "Læ Elr" evokes a bank of thick and hypnotic riffs that feel like ice melting off the side of some far mountain, but the interaction of guitars and vocals doesn't ever really nail you down, and it is quickly surpassed with the driving "Gylðir Algørir", in which two separate guitar melodies wrangle off one another to a steady blast, converging into the verse, though this too is not one of the best pieces on the album. "In Følva Felr" slows the pace with some plodding, layered riffs that betray their simplicity through the captivating mood they create, like a somber Asgardian epitaph, before "Goðin Eru Blekkt" turns back towards a fiery, serpentine assault of roving black/death metal which recalled some of the better riffing of mainstream Swedish heroes Amon Amarth.
I found the second half of the album more involving. The style doesn't suddenly mutate in "Gramr Girnisk", but the structure of the riffs manifests a deeper mystique, a sodden procession that simultaneously channels mourning and destruction through the black majesty of rhythmic starts and stops. "Andskoti Ferr Austan" is simple and mechanistic, with a moderately paced black/thrash riff akin to later Immortal that opens into an exchange of open chords and trailing rhythms through which you can feel the shaking of the land, great bastions of stone and fire erupting in slow and inevitable motion through the landscape, a herald of the endtimes. This is the perfect place to launch "Múspellzheimr Kemr", with a riff so damned basic and memorable that it should be outlawed, yet unashamedly malevolent, and probably my favorite here. The album closes with "Røk", a sullen instrumental using only clean guitars, and an effective contrast.
Though not as powerful an experience as the masterpiece ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ or the excellent 1995 debut Fran Marder, this 6th album is still among the better Arckanum material Shamaatae has written, and I can't think anyone that derived enjoyment from the prior effort would be left disappointed with this. He remains one of the more potent forces in Swedish black metal, ever tasteful, interesting and maintaining just the right balance of obscurity and loyalty to the traditional values of the genre. Like the Norse artisans Enslaved, Arckanum deals with the medium of Norse mythos in an intelligent, intriguing manner that doesn't belittle the listener with cutout Viking bullshit. It assumes some degree of fascination already inherent in its audience, and then pummels them with mood, a long, low craft being rowed to the end. There are moments of drag in the current, and whorls of wind and thunder battering against its hull, but it still eventually arrives, burning.
-autothrall
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