3. Svalbard - "The Weight Of The Mask"

Their previous record was an extraordinarily frank confessional about living with mental illness. The subject matter hasn’t changed much but what is a huge development is in the sound that they employ to vividly invoke the everyday struggles of experiencing severe depression. It’s still black metal but a much more expansive and euphoric version of the genre. 

The claustrophobia of their previous records has been dispensed with and instead, we have a musically open and almost transcendental style going on. It seems strange to describe black metal as luscious and succulent but that is exactly what it is doing here. There is so much resonation and evocative emotion in the music. 

The scale and ambition of their musical palette just brings Serena Cherry’s heart-felt testimonies to life. It oozes with passion but also with deep-seated pain. Rather than being used as a fantastical vehicle, the inherent power of black metal has been harnessed as a way of articulating the day-to-day hardships of life, and whilst not an easy listen it is a thoroughly absorbing and endearing one.