Sky Swallower

Vattnet Viskar is an Atmospheric Black/post-Black Metal band from Plaistow, NH. They are releasing their debut record "Sky Swallower", which will be available September 3rd via Century Media Records (I have an andvanced copy that I won from Century Media). If you like the styles of black metal mixed with down-tempo and at times jazzy/blues breaks in songs, then you will definitely like this band! I have been glued to my stereo listening to my copy of "Sky Swallower." The music throughout the record is haunting, in a similar style to the German post-black metal band "Lantlos."

The album is captivating right from the start and begins with great tremolo picked guitar parts and the aggressiveness of the black metal style in the song "New Alchemy", but also has the haunting feel to the music that only the atmospheric/post-black bands bring to the table with this style with a slower, jazz/blues sounding break in the middle of the song. They also have three, short down-tempo songs, "Monarch", "Ascend" and "As I Stared Into the Sky". that really set the mood for the track that follows. This tempo change happens during each of the five other songs and it's just a great combination to keep the listener interested. I've seen tags with this band as having influences of traditional Black Metal, Doom metal, post-Rock, but as I mentioned before, I would also through Jazz and Blues in there. The down-tempo breaks in the music have that lite jazzy and bluesy feel to me and it's a great element within the music, the type of music you might hear in one of those old time detective movies playing underneath the narration. The end of the record left me with the mind set of, "there's only 8 tracks that last 38 minutes??? I don't want this to end!"

It is certainly an amazing release and is up high on my list as one of my favorite releases of 2013 and deserves a high rating (seen below, and yes I use decimal places and not just nice whole numbers). I certainly recommend it to all fans, but especially for fans of Lantlos, Deafheaven & Heretoir. \m/ In other worlds, go buy it! Pre-orders are available via CMDistro (http://www.cmdistro.com/Search/vattnet_viskar).

Reviewed by: Jonathan Sager (DJ Corvus @ Metal Messiah Radio)

The debut full-length album of Vattnet Viskar is a true testament to how much USBM has grown and blossomed into something truly respectable and ultimately, beautiful. Sky Swallower is a wistful mix modern black metal and the dreariest of doom metal. This album contains three roughly minute long “breather” tracks that are scattered throughout, each serving as preparation for your mental demise in the oncoming metalness.

These chaotic hymns are not black metal all the way through, each take a break from the barbaric black metal aspects and slowly unravel into a dreary doom style. Each of these songs feature an occasional silent void only filled with the ominous and lingering slow and gentle twanging of an electric guitar. Exiting out of these sections, beastly transitions come crashing down on you, led by thunderous drum bursts. The embossed bass lines really catch your attention and seem to tower over the lead guitars during soft outro melodies. The growls used are very soothing and it is also a pleasant bonus to be able to roughly understand the lyrics. While the vocals sometimes prove to be soft amongst comparable black metal growls, they are still harsh enough to create the unhallowed and grim atmosphere that the album so desperately depicts. I recommend the tracks “Fog of Apathy” and “Mythos” if you need yet another reason to pick this album up. The prior showcases the gentler side of the band’s sound where the latter breaths turmoil and mighty pandemonium.

Overall, Sky Swallower is a rather tame black metal release but still has its glimpses of savagery that will keep all metal fans attracted. This album sounds like a modern Enslaved release but with a monstrous facet of doom embedded in it. Vattnet Viskar are right up there with the new age of American black metal alongside the now legendary Wolves in the Throne Room and other similar artists. Albums like this should be played to children in school; it is a sweet escape as well as a cold and brutally truthful reminder of reality.

written for themetalreview.com
http://themetalreview.com/albums/vattnet-viskar/