WORMWOOD — Arkivet (review)

Album · 2021 · Melodic Black Metal

5/5 · 2021-07-05
Time Signature

The loneliness...

Genre: melodic black metal

I think I've said this a couple of times before, but I am not really an expert in black metal. I acknowledge it as a genre of artistic expression, but I am not able to appreciate all its different subgenres as I lack insight into all the little details and conventions that a true aficionado has. However, every now and then, I happen across a black metal band or maybe just a black metal release that clicks with me.

Wormwood's "Arkivet" is one such release.

While it is rich in many of the tropes that make black metal what it is, such as tremolo-picking, harsh and screetchy vocals, and blastbeats galore, the album has another feature that hits it home with me: melody. That is not to say that I don't like the black metal figures that I just mentioned, because I do, and they work really well on this album. They work so well because they are not just juxtaposed with the melodic elements; the harsh intensity and the melody are intertwined in an unholy union of melancholy.

The melodic element consists in guitar melodies, which are often but not always tremolo-picked, along with the chord progressions themselves. Adding a slightly epic feel are atmospheric keyboards, and in a track like "Ensamheten" there is even some traditional Scandinavian folk instrumentation. In addition, there is the occasional breakdown into mellow clean-guitared sections.

"Ensamheten" is Swedish for "the loneliness", and, if there is one emotion that captures the atmosphere on this album, it's gotta be loneliness. There is a pervasive sense of melancholy on this album, and I guess that, with covid and lock-downs and all that, this sense of loneliness and desparation makes this album even more relevant. I'd say that we are not dealing with the typical type of self-pitying attitude that characterizes much melancholic black metal. This is bigger than that. This is about humanity itself. No, seriously, it is; just check out the lyrics. While personal suffering is tragic, the suffering of humanity does raise the stakes just a bit.

I think the songwriting is really good as is the musicianship. We are dealing with a band of musicians who are not afraid of letting melodic sensibilities not just shine through but be the fundament of a black metal release. We are even treated to some pretty good almost rock-like guitar solos every now and then which go well together with the melancholic in-built harmonies that characterize the entire album. The compositions are dynamic with changes and shifts where necessary and lack thereof where necessary. This means that there is a nice blend of black metal hypnoticity and interesting dynamicity.

Not surprisingly, I think this is a great black metal album. It immediately made it into my top ten of black metal albums (for what it's worth, of course, seeing that I'm not a trve kvlt gvy). Fans of melodic, melancholic, folky, and maybe even epic and symphonic black metal should find this a very intriguing listen. It is also likely to appeal tp people who are looking for a gateway into black metal.