ALBUM REVIEW: Atlas – Besvärjelsen

Emerging from the depths of the vast Dalarna forest and channelling all the spirits and traditions from this mystical place comes BESVÄRJELSEN. The band’s sophomore album takes you on a spellbinding and magical trip as they effortlessly blend prog, punk, folk, and classic rock into their unique brand of melodic stoner rock. BESVÄRJELSEN take inspiration from their surroundings. Dalarna is an ancient place where Swedish and Finnish people met for centuries, this cross border cultural exchange has given the band a unique world to immerse themselves in, entrenching themselves in the local magic, lore and mysticism, whilst taking in the dark, primordial musical traditions. The word BESVÄRJELSEN is Swedish for “conjuring”, and there is certainly something special conjured up on the band’s sophomore album Atlas.

Atlas is an album of many layers. On the surface it has all the raw power of a punk and hardcore album, owing to several of the members’ musical backgrounds. However, dig underneath that crust and you are transported to a dark, enigmatic and ominous world that reveals itself gradually through haunting, wistful melody. Yet BESVÄRJELSEN aren’t another “pagan” band; there is no cliché or tired out tropes about wizards and days of yore, but a genuinely ethereal and eerie glimpse into the dark shadows of the past within the local area of Dalarna and the impact it has had on the band.

With these unseen forces at play, it becomes gradually clear that there is a deep, primal emotion slowly resonating underneath the powerful riffs and poignant melodies. Given that stoner rock was originally born in the arid surroundings of the desert, Atlas fits firmly within the theistic forests of Sweden. The atmospheric elements conjure up images of vast expanses of Norwegian Spruce and European Beech cascading the hills in pine green whilst lonely rivers rumble through the valleys, their courses undisturbed by human hands.

Outside of the bewitching and hypnotic atmospherics and fascinating subject matter of the songs, Atlas also demonstrates the sheer diversity of the band’s influences. Most notably the distinctive voice of singer Lea Amling Alazam. Mustering up the charisma and character of singers like Amy Winehouse or Nina Simone, whilst utilising the melodic stylings of grunge and fusing it with the mesmeric characteristics of African and Middle Eastern music, Alazam definitely offers something unique to the doom and stoner scene. This plethora of melodic vocal influences set to the back drop of slowed down melodic hardcore style riffs and psychedelic, soaring guitar leads and Atlas simply blows you away once you realise there sheer gravity of what BESVÄRJELSEN have put into this album.

Opening up the album is Cardinal Ride and if there is one song title that sums up Atlas as a whole, it’s this one. Atlas is a distinctive and immersive ride from start to finish. Packed into this three and a half minutes is a song full of pulsating rhythms, gigantic riffs and entrancing melody alongside group harmonies that are triumphantly ethereal. Acheron bombastically unleashes the rest of the album’s potential with thundering drums; it is here we also get the first full glimpse of BESVÄRJELSEN’s atmospheric approach. Reverb soaked leads echo as if they were reverberating off of the hills of the surrounding valleys.

The songs Clouds and Descent offer up a sensitive side to the album, as they take on a more melancholic feel, with Alazam showing a more sombre, heartfelt side to her vocals. House Of Burning Light and Obscured By Darkness have a real punk fury to them, and this is where the band’s hardcore/punk background is really on show as the songs rev and roar like a chainsaw. Album closer, the nearly eight-minute epic Divided Ends, consolidates the record by bringing all the various elements of Atlas together into one titanic, monolithic track. With ever shifting grooves, the melodies and riffs underneath continually evolve in a progressive metal manner – this grandiosity brings the album to an end in the best and most explosive way possible.

Atlas definitely stands as the culmination of BESVÄRJELSEN’s sound evolution over the last few years as well as demonstrating how stoner can adapt to any given environment, desert or forest. Given that this is only the band’s second album, Atlas is certainly not a record to be overlooked.

Rating: 8/10

Atlas is set for release on May 27th via Magnetic Eye Records.

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