Bergraven (SWE) – Det Framlidna Minnet LP

Black Metal

Sweden’s Bergraven are never shy of venturing to the very edge of black metal terrain and staring into the maddening abyss. In the nine years since Till Makabert Väsen all three members have been busy with their exceptional Stilla project, which has served to take the edge off the longing for new material. Bergraven are, however, an altogether more complex, ethereal beast and allows the trio to indulge their more experimental proclivities. Det framlidna minnet deals with memories – their fluid nature and how the healthy human spirit builds a wall around itself with carefully adjusted memories and yet sometimes the system corrupts and memories become ghosts that haunt their hosts with regret and despair. Present are the band’s trademark unusual song structures and jazz-inspired passages, which add a further sprinkling of chaos and unease to the mix. Over the course of eight intoxicating pieces, injected with the most intelligent, nuanced songwriting prowess to date, Bergraven remind us that expectations rarely match up with reality and what becomes of us in this mortal coil.