Svartidauði – Revelations of the Red Sword

[schema type=”review” name=”Svartidauði – Revelations of the Red Sword” description=”Label: Van Records” author=”Başak Günel” pubdate=”2018-12-03″]

Svartidauði (Icelandic for “black death”) is a black metal band, hailing from Iceland. They were formed in 2002 and released their first full-length in 2012. A few EPs have been released in-between but a second full-length was surely highly anticipated… That time has come indeed and the band is back with the second full-length “Revelations of the Red Sword”. 

Upon listening to this one, you might feel confused, disturbed and feel like you are just standing in a forest in the pitch-dark, not knowing where to run. You might feel rather lost… but don’t let this bother you. “Revelations of the Red Sword” is chaotic, dark and black metal to the bone, but the album’s style and the band’s character is perfect in this complex atmosphere. There is no certain rhythm, and the album is indescribable to those not being familiar to this sound… but that’s what makes it quite impressive and quite unique. Some influences from the 90s, and the Eastern European side of the BM scene can be felt. However, in a genre like BM where almost all the bands sound the similar, Svartidaudi has this potential to stand out. With each spin, the songs will definitely lure you in. So be patient with this one and don’t rush; even though the sound and the overall vibe might confuse you, you will feel that familiar darkness in that beat or the riff here and there.

One highlight I also found impressive is this contrast of the flow of the album despite the length of the songs. This might be a heavy album and it takes time to let it all sink in. However, in this complex atmosphere, the songs flow so easily and introduce us new feelings and a new wave of darkness with each listen. This might be one of the biggest strengths of this album. Even though the album is one as a whole, each song has its own character and can be considered a mosaic that completes the puzzle.

““Revelations of the Red Sword”” is definitely a gem in this dark and cold winter. If you are a fan of this genre but also a fan of the dark music in general, give it a try and get ready to be impressed!

Tracklist: 1. Sol Ascending 2. Burning Worlds of Excrement 3. The Howling Cynocephali 4. Wolves of a Red Sun 5. Reveries of Conflagration 6. Aureum Lux

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