Svartsyn – Vortex of the Destroyer

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7.0

• Band:
  Svartsyn
• Duration: 00:55:10
• Available from: 28/03/2025
• Label:

• Norma Evangelium Diaboli

With “Vortex of the Destroyer”, the black metalrs of Swedish origin Svartsyn return with a work that summarizes their vision with lucidity and consistency. Published under the aegis of the Evangelium Diaboli standard, the disc develops as a sort of bridge between present and past, approaching four unpublished compositions to songs-suitably re-recorded for the occasion-apparently dating back to the period, in 1992, in which the band operated under the name of Chalice. The album is therefore structured in two distinct parts, even if united by an evident common thread, with the leader Ornias engaged in exploring the roots of his sound and his career, without however indulging too much in nostalgia.
The Svartsyn have been a constant of the Black Metal Underground for over thirty years, a name in its own way always present, yet never really emerged outside of a restricted circle, despite the discography, boasting some works of undoubted value (together with others in true less exhilarating). In this sense, it is possible to think that “Vortex of the Destroyer” could undergo the same fate as certain releases as the project, given its hybrid nature, which recalls the form of the compilation. However, it should be emphasized that the tracklist does not express a marked impression of fragmentation: the most recent pieces, even if more elaborate, at a conceptual and stylistic level do not tone alongside those of the charise period, managing to express a minimum of continuity that strengthens the overall impact of the work. Finally, the patronage of the aforementioned Evangelium Diaboli standard, reference label in the extreme world scene, which gives further weight and authority to work should not be overlooked.
What is certain is that the first half of the disc shows an inspired and fully aware band of its identity, with a complete and balanced sound, which shows how the name Svartsyn remains all in all in step with the times in its elaboration of a severe and sharp black metal. Without reaching the level of depravation of funeral compatriots, the cut of the sound is a torvo, authoritarian and at the same time dynamic, with sinuous structures that offer both highly barbaric moments and slowdowns in which it opens up to a more dramatic mood, adorned with convincing brush strokes of melody.
The second part of the tracklist instead brings us back to the early nineties: partially rearranged and reinterpreted with today's awareness, the pieces of the beginning still retain their instinctive and primordial character, testifying to the consistency with which Ornias has carried on his vision over time. Obviously, here you can breathe with greater insistence the atmosphere of the second black metal wave, with solutions that recall a more raw and wild aesthetics, within structures, however, never too 'calls' (see the creative development of a “Beyond the Memories”).
Said of a decent graphic production and garment, this particular operation is thus evaluated positively. “Vortex of the Destroyer” will perhaps not be a turning point for their career, but it is undoubtedly a new chapter of the Svartsyn artistic path that manages to express the penalty and dedication at the base of the band. Another act of faith in an expressive language that continues to resist the passage of time.