Sorgeldom - ...from Outer Intelligences (2011)

...from Outer Intelligences is the companion album to Sorgeldom's Vithatten, released simultaneously but weaving its way up a quite different web. This is by far the most esoteric, progressive recording that the band have yet recorded, but it does contain a few traits in common with the other albums, at least in the eccentric riff patterns and mixture of acoustic and electric instruments to create a lattice of mesmerizing contrasts. There are also several aesthetic differences between this and Vithatten. Where that album goes for the whole live, rustic, lo-fi production, this is as clean and polished as their 2nd album Inner Receivings. The guitar tone is thin, yet richly melodic, and the drums and bass are naturally better balanced. The cover art also forsakes the wonderful black/white illustrations of its partner album, but this is their best packaging yet, capturing a few of the same Garden of Earthly Delights images (via Hieronymous Bosch) that Celtic Frost used on Into the Pandemonium.

Inner Receivings definitely had a streak of the popular post-black/shoegazer sound to it, which honestly held it back a bit, though I enjoyed it more than the debut. With this album, the Swedes have abandoned that to incorporate their folksy swagger into a more harried, technical style that had only been hinted at. Songs like "Utesluten Fran Universums Koreografi" and the 9+ minute epic "Hanford av Tvangshandlinges Synagoga" feature a lot of tempo changes, with a mix of the clean and harsh vocals, periods of calm being ruptured by harsher, melodic black metal rhythms and then back again, and I can promise that at least it never borders on ennui. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed the vocals here the least of all their records. The harsh rasps are a bit too full and overbearing for the thinner guitar tone, and the cleans often feel as if singer is a little drunk and slovenly. Neither approach is all that much of a distraction, or distinctly 'bad', but I never felt as if they were really adding anything, and set my ears to focus on the guitars, which are crashing and hurtling around all over the mix of Swedish and English lyrics that are both cosmic and philosophical in nature.

Where Vithatten is the 'forest' session, this is definitely traipsing along the margin of the inner soul and infinite space beyond the known world. A nice splicing of themes, for sure, but this CD does also include a number of more folksy pieces like "Mannen vid Stugan" and "Tragedin Skraddarsydde mitt Hjartas Omma Sommar". Alas, those woozy clean vocals I mentioned do sort of pollute the former piece, and the last (and outro "Kontakt") are pleasant but not at all important or representative of the album as a whole. My favorite single track here is likely the bold "To Where Your Tracks End", with its railroad samples, flowing dual acoustics and the best clean vocals on the album, which are pitched with a psychedelic, almost Pink Floyd numbness that totally sells the atmosphere. I felt that, with this track, Sorgeldom were opening up a Pandora's Box of potential...if only more of the music had a similar, consistent depth and vision.

Ultimately, ...from Outer Intelligences is still a strong enough effort that fans of the outer fringe of progressive/folk black metal (like Klabautamann, early Opeth or Ulver) could get a lot out of it. Some of the guitars lines in the heavier tracks are absurdly cool, though the ratio of hot to not licks is quite even, and they occasionally seem to aimlessly careen about the compositions without proper transitions and placement. Yeah, I didn't like much of the vocal work, and it's perhaps the least consistent album they've released to date, but regardless there is no question that Sorgeldom have ideas that might eventually elevate them to a position of great distinction.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10] (I wonder if the destination, will have me satisfied)

http://www.myspace.com/sorgeldom

Sorgeldom - Vithatten (2011)

Sweden's promising Sorgeldom have decided to branch their sound out along two paths. Two new albums released concurrently, each corresponding to one of their previous full-lengths. Vithatten, also referred to as their 'forest session', is clearly hearkening back to the more rustic black/folk metal roots of their 2009 debut Innerlig Förmörkelse, but I'm quite surprised to find that I have enjoyed this the most of any of their material to date. Here they've gone for a very unpolished, live sound to the compositions, a springy punch to the acoustic sequences and a very vibrant, loud tone to the guitars, and yet they've lost none of the nuance or complexity that they've been developing these past few years. Vithatten is not so progressive as last year's Inner Receivings or its spiritual successor ...from Outer Intelligences, but the riffs and overall ideas behind this music are quite stunning despite the low fidelity of the production.

The opener is an intro with a lot of feedback and some freakish, ambient whines leading into the charge of the title track, which features some of the band's most memorable, jangled riffing, as it cavorts through and near constantly shifts its structure through periods of grace and dissonance. They alternate in and out of a folksy gait for "De Gangnas Skalder", incorporating some acoustic leads with the thrusting melodic spurs of aggression; and this is more or less the strategy for most of the songs. Favorites include the brief "Av Sten", a slowly escalating piece with a tinge of distortion to the guitars married to cleaner, chanted voices, and I must say that such cleans here are far less grating than they seemed on the companion studio album. "Mylingsdimma" might just have the best balance of elements here, but "Inom Bergets Salar" takes the title for the creep of its bass-lines beneath the eerie acoustics, with the vocals set to a mere whisper.

The final three tracks of Vithatten were recorded at a separate session, and thus they don't quite match up in tone, even if the style is in the same camp. "Vilsna Tankars Spokerier" has a lot of the brooding, clean chants which honestly remind me of the monks in Monty Python & the Holy Grail chanting their Latin requiem; while "I Fonstret Blickar Kvinnan" goes for a decidedly grim, grimy outlook and the finale, "Skuggor av Black" is a shimmering acoustic outro. Interesting that, even for the acoustic pieces, the hiss of tape in the production never ceases, giving it all a very demo-like or live studio aesthetic which somehow really worked for me. In all, I wouldn't say that the material here is quite so complex or dynamic as that of ...from Outer Intelligences, but it's certainly an enjoyable set of songs that may hold some appeal for fans of Klabautamann or the early Ulver releases. A 'forest session' indeed; all it's missing are the crackling campfires, bristling winds, squirrels and shouting lumberjacks.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.myspace.com/sorgeldom

Sorgeldom - Inner Receivings (2010)

I first encountered this promising Swedish band on their debut last year, Innerlig Förmörkelse, which consisted of generally lengthy compositions around the 8-11 minute range with alternating scenes of acoustic bliss and raging, melodic black metal drawn up in a not quite polished, but not so raw it hurts fashion. While I enjoyed that album, it didn't really exist outside of a large number of similar acts that use the same shifting between folk values and native aggression, and ultimately would not stand out so far in the memory. This is only a natural progression, though, seeing that Sorgeldom was originally but an acoustic project of one sole member, Jodöden (who today performs both the bass and guitars).

The band have made a number of alterations for the follow-up, Inner Receivings, that slightly shift their formula, without abandoning their more forceful black metal core. For one, they've shed some of the rustic roots of their sound to incorporate a sheen of post-black, or shoegaze elements which often occupy a portion or entirety of the track. They also dabble in some shorter material this time out, though four of the compositions exceed 8 minutes. I found the drummer slightly more intense on this record, and the black metal rhythms far more level, though the feel of unnecessary repetition does again diminish some of the effectiveness, especially in the stretched out fare like "I Kloaken Lättar Vi Ankar" 0r the title track. The central, rasped vocals feel a little monotonous after a time, though they do fit the majority of the album's aesthetic. The band also experiment with some cleans here, though, and feature a guest in AE of Whirling.

I really enjoyed how the album opened, with a meandering mystique of jarring, glinting streams that collided in a means reminiscent of Ved Buens Ende or The Archaic Course via Borknagar, and this immediately brought about high expectations, which more or less persisted through the hour of the total experience. The longer, black metal pieces such as "I Kloaken Lättar Vi Ankar" do not rage on forever, breaking to explore segues of quiet post-rock atmosphere. In the case of "I Väntan På Telefonsamtalet", the majority of the track is not black metal at all, but a longing and desperate instrumental melodic surge of chords that both trouble and delight the ear, until the closing segment where the vocals arrive and catapult us directly into those influences I listed above. There is a cover of shoegaze band Slowdive's "Summer Day" here which is quite affectionate, and combined with the post-acoustic points of "Drömmarnas Galax" or the watery ambiance of the outro "Dyk", one can't help but feeling that this band's real strength lies beyond the metal region.

However, the juxtaposition of its extremes ensures that Inner Receivings will not dull the listener if he's in the proper state of mind to experience it, and the album ends up more intriguing than it's worthy predecessor, with more lasting vibrations emitted through its shimmering departures from the norm. Granted, the black metal gone shoegaze metamorphosis is nothing extremely original, with a wealth of European and American bands visiting the option, but Sorgeldom are fairly strong when they commit to it. Sorgeldom's sophomore is easy to foist upon listeners of Apati, Ved Buens Ende, Alcest, ColdWorld, and other acts that have helped carve out and explore this domain, but be warned that there's still a twisted black serpent sliding about the forests and fields where their imagination blossoms.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.myspace.com/sorgeldom

Sorgeldom - Innerlig Förmörkelse (2009)

Though Sweden has always had the benefit of a strong metal scene in most genres, its black metal is 2nd only to death in terms of overall quality. Veterans like Dark Funeral and Marduk soldier on, but it's rare that promising new blood is injected into the wound, and with a devilsend like Mörk Gryning breaking up, there is plenty of void to fill.

Enter Sorgeldom, a young three piece who have crafted a debut of raw but thoughtful black metal. Innerlig Förmörkelse thrives on its sharp edged riffing, brutal blunt vocals and the airy atmosphere of its crisp mix. "Insikter" anoints the album with a selection of repetitious notes that induce a wintry hypnosis. "Oroväckande Förlust Av Ett Förlorat Förstånd" offers the full experience: drums, vocals and nearly 12 minutes of cold black metal to herald the oncoming seasons. There are plenty of riffs in the track to break it up, and the band does revisit their mellow acoustic side. "Då Drömmen Dog, Dödade Dagen Dig" offers another crisp acoustic intro, this one quite good, with a shine to it like the watching your blood steam from an open wound under a February full moon. Glorious and hostile riffing ensues to secure this track's place as one of the best on the album. "Livslusten For Med Vinden" is another acoustic piece with some bass picking, and "Geväret Lades Fram, Processen Blev Kort" is a 13-minute plus epic which is another of the best written songs here. The title track seals the album, at time driving and fierce, at times breaking for more of the band's trebly acoustic riffs.

Innerlig Förmörkelse is suitably raw, enough that fans of the Swedish Orthodox black metal might enjoy it, though thematically it is somewhat more nature inclined. All the instruments are present in the mix, but the album isn't bass heavy tone-wise. The result is a sharp stream of natural pagan imagery snorted right into your mind like a line of cocaine snow, or watching your blood ripple through a cold river. Though I enjoyed it, I do feel there is much potential for the band to surpass this. Half the album was superb but there were a few tracks which felt dull in places. Well worth the listen if you favor black metal that is melodic, graceful, sad, and atmospheric but still raging and fast.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/sorgeldom