Sweden’s Förfallet Deliver Waves Of Crushing Post-Black Metal On Latest Record

Sweden’s Förfallet have captured a particularly raging brand of post-black metal on their new self-titled record, which seems to be the first release from the project.

The four songs pack a raging onslaught of tension, like those behind the record have suddenly removed a dam that had been holding back some raging river and the watery chaos is suddenly rushing freely. On a foundational level, the songs are super heavy to the point that there’s sometimes an ominously looming death metal vibe — the drum rhythms command some special attention right in the very first track, as they feel reminiscent of not just powerful hailstorms on a metaphorical level but strikingly memorable heavy music performances that pack a helluva lot of energy. The guitar and bass components tend to follow a similar pattern, landing with a staggering amount of weight across the album, as if they’re carving out a precariously huge trench in the earth as the extended melodies drag on. Memorably heavy moments are strewn across Förfallet — the music picks up around the three-minute mark on track one, the following track opens and closes with frenzied blast beat-riddled shock waves, and more.

The invitingly familiar grandiosity of black metal courses through the mix amidst the heaviness, and it makes the album feel somewhat like a sonic encapsulation of raging despair, as if the forcefully propulsive melodies have been kicked into a realm where they’re churning up metaphysical grime and crushing sorrow. Track three, for instance, focuses for awhile on comparatively slower heaves of howling riffing that sound legitimately emotionally draining, as if they’re packing the sound of some person or even some perhaps otherworldly creature calling out for some kind of help across a frozen expanse. The emotionally searing leaps of riffing that close out track three, which clocks in at just over eight minutes and is the record’s longest track, pack startlingly immense power — it’s invigoratingly extended mayhem.

There’s a raging intensity that courses through the record’s final track, like it’s time to confront an end. The clouds have opened up, and the (metaphorical) rain is pummeling the earth — it’s time to dive in.

5/5 Stars

Check out Förfallet below!