ALBUM REVIEW: Marine Snow – Novarupta

Marine Snow is the second entry in a series of four albums focusing on the elements of fire, water, air and earth. It’s an ambitious concept, and one well-suited to a band as broad a vision as Swedish post-metal collective NOVARUPTA. The album follows their 2018 debut, Disillusioned Fire, a well-received record that was both parts crushing and beautiful. This time around the group turn their attention to the concept of water and the ocean. The result is a record which maintains the feel of its predecessor, whilst also representing a significant evolution.

At its core, NOVARUPTA is very much the brain-child of Alex Stjernfeldt, known for his work with fellow Swedish post-metal band, THE MOTH GATHERER. Much like NOVARUPTA‘s previous record, Marine Snow sees him joined by a host of respected guests. Among them are current and former members of bands as varied as A STORM OF LIGHT, INTER ARMA and GHOST. Together, they’ve crafted five lengthy post-metal tracks which straddle a fine line between melodic beauty and weighty heaviness.

Those familiar with Disillusioned Fire, or Stjernfeldt’s work with THE MOTH GATHERER, may be a little surprised by Marine Snow. Perhaps most notably, it relies far more on clean vocals than any of those records. In fact, it’s only the album’s fourth track, No Constellation, that features anything particularly harsh. Here, Mike Paparo of INTER ARMA delivers low, abrasive gutturals to devastating effect. It’s evidence of NOVARUPTA‘s keen understanding of light and shade, with the vocals feeling that much harsher when compared to the often beautiful singing found elsewhere on the record.

That isn’t to say Marine Snow isn’t heavy. Instead, NOVARUPTA opt for a different kind of heaviness, one built on intense atmosphere and often suffocating sludge. This is clear from the start. Opening track Broken Blue Cascades begins with ominous clean guitars and the sound of distant crashing waves. Josh Graham of A STORM OF LIGHT soon comes in with some haunting vocals, before the track erupts into driving post-metal. It’s a cool, ethereal song, with memorable, dark lyrics like “I thought we were living but we were waiting for death. I thought we were breathing but we were all out of breath.”

After this, NOVARUPTA provide listeners with two firm contenders for the best song on the record. The first, Every Shade Of Water, is a driving, ominous piece featuring BESVÄRJELSEN‘s Lea Amling and Robert Lamu of SKRAECKOEDLAN. It’s a step up from the album’s opener, with touches of CULT OF LUNA and vocals which can’t help but bring to mind PLACEBO‘s Brian Molko. The next song, Trieste, features Martin Persner, formerly of GHOST and now known for his work with MAGNA CARTA CARTEL. It’s another dark and broody piece, with reverb-soaked guitars and hard-hitting drums. Towards the end it also sees the band add some electronic effects to Persner‘s vocals for a cool sci-fi feel. Both these songs provide strong proof of the band’s ability to keep things heavy without losing a sense of melody.

There’s no denying a post-punk influence on Marine Snow. It’s impossible not to hear shades of THE CURE in the guitar work on No Constellation. This is also true of the album’s closer, 11°22.4N 142°35.5E (a reference to the deepest part of the ocean). This song, another highlight, could even draw comparisons to the post-punk revival sound of a band like THE NATIONAL at points. That said, its closing blast beats leave little doubt that this is still very much a metal record. It makes for an almost haunting finale, closing with fitting waves of washy noise.

At 40 minutes, Marine Snow is pretty much a perfect length for this kind of record. It’s also an album which sees NOVARUPTA make some pretty bold choices. Rather than being as abrasive as some might have expected, the band give a powerful lesson in mood and atmosphere. This is no mean feat, and as a result many will argue that it tops its predecessor. With two more entries in the series still to come, Marine Snow is a record which is sure to leave listeners excited for what this ambitious collective will do next.

Rating: 8/10

Marine Snow is set for release on November 13th via Suicide Records.

Like NOVARUPTA on Facebook.