Konkurs

After two albums of fiddling around with depressive black metal and rock with decent results, Lifelover’s third effort, Konkurs, is where the band hit their stride, before they began dumbing themselves down and back into mediocrity.

I used to think Nackskott was their best song (on the whole, Erotik isn’t really worth considering since it’s just a weaker Pulver), but the introductory Shallow immediately made me reconsider its standing. It cycles through three sections of desolate tremolo riffing (with the occasional dashes of piano) before introducing some heavier chugging amidst steady, rolling percussion in a way that strongly reminded me of a more streamlined Silencer. Guitarists B (R.I.P.) and H. have largely done away with the relaxed, bouncy vibes of Pulver, going straight for the throat (or wrists, rather) with razor sharp melodies that are able to leave a more lasting impression.

Another comparison to Silencer is in due order, as ( )’s crazed howls sound like a subdued version of Nattramn’s bizarre caterwaul. The schizophrenic performance here (especially on Mental Central Dialog) is definitely his strongest so far, unlike in the past where he just came off as a drunk hobo complaining really loudly. The drum machine still possesses that uncanny mechanised aura thanks to the blatantly uniform cymbals, but the drum parts are much more fluid yet intense, with plenty of involved double bass sections that lend themselves to the thicker sound – probably the best they’ve ever achieved, as it’s got a nice amount of punch without falling prey to the crippling sterility of 2011’s Sjukdom.

That said, Lifelover have never really been one for consistency, even here; tracks like Alltid - Aldrig, Stängt p.g.a Semester and Mitt Annexia are content with simply lazing around and not really doing anything significant. What irritated me most on their previous efforts – aside from the particularly dreadful attempt at experimentation that was Nitlott – were the inexplicably pretentious moments that would appear seemingly out of the blue, such as toddler folk at the end of Nackskott, or the 46-second fuzz bomb of Medicinmannen. While these flickers of weirdness are still very much present on the first half of the record (specifically Mental Central Dialog up to Konvulsion), they’re slightly more tolerable than before.

Konkurs may not be the pinnacle of depressive black metal, but it’s certainly the finest cut of the band’s rather middle-of-the-road selection. Lifelover aren’t doing anything they haven’t done before, but here they’re at their most confident, blending bleak, penetrating heaviness with a deep sense of introspection.