Grift - Arvet

#FOR FANS OF: Depressive Black Metal

Eric Gärdefors' anguished and depressive black metal project, Grift, continues in its smooth, intimate, and captivating approach with another desperate cry into the untamed wilderness. The lonely house that Grift built, residing twixt the trees of a desolate forest and lying unlit under an ashen sky, is the prison of an isolated mind that dwells on the inherent insignificance of existence while awaiting inevitable demise.

Folksy acoustic guitars with pattering traditional drums, wailing cries both high and low, and a dive into the fury of fleeting black metal riffs characterize “Flyktfast”, Den Stora Tystnaden”, and “Utdöingsbygd” as genuine and significant standard metal affairs among a catalogue of introspective and disillusioned lyrics. After two minutes of a desolate and creeping intro, where the serenity of a quiet resonating cymbal tolling between creaks of wood is interrupted by distant cries, a barking dog, and a drop into Grift's most energetic song on this album, “Glömskans Jrtecken” harnesses its lonesome atmosphere in a tumble of emotions. The relentlessly kicking rhythm buffets long, drawn out guitars that longingly ring like organs, yearning to recapture a long lost mental state, stuck in a fleeting moment that is impossible to hold onto after conjuring a shadow if itself in retrospect. Lyrically, the song describes the somber revelation that memories merely malform over time. Through an easily-convinced naivete, minds that sought signs of the 'urkraft' or primordial force that has awakened mankind's cognition were simply imagining, never witnessing the spirits manifesting themselves in the greatness that so deluded such a once-impressionable youth.

The avant-garde moments of this release make up the majority of “Morgon På Stromshölm”, with its four minutes of birdsong, cymbal tinks, and a grating violin taking over the final minute of the track. “Nattyxne” embraces its desolation to drag the guitars through begrudgingly beautiful tones while assuring the listener that, despite all the pleasing sounds and picturesque landscapes it conjures, the tone of this album remains firmly entrenched in its dispirited disposition. Emotionally impactful, Grift's 'Arvet' is an unheard cry for help as the production fills the air with the moisture of falling tears and mesmerizing melancholic measures. The understated intensity of this album, lurking in the shadows before pouncing in “Utdöingsbygd”, creates a reversed rhythm crushing its own heart and wallowing in its self-absorbed misery while maintaining a firm grip on the desolate black metal structure that culminates in the swing of tremolos and blasts. (Five_Nails)

(Nordvis Prod - 2017)
Score: 75

https://nordvis.bandcamp.com/album/arvet