ALBUM REVIEW: Sol – Jord
With the vast majority of modern one man black metal acts, it’s incredibly obvious that the music has been composed by a single person, often relying on second rate second wave black metal tropes, coupled with a flat and dull production, with results that are more often than not fairly mediocre. Luckily for JORD, the one man within that band, Jörgen Ström, is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist with a wealth of experience in a number of different bands and styles, which allows the band to stand head and shoulders above many bands with a similarly streamlined line up. The debut JORD full length, Sol, is a easily one of the better black metal albums to come out this year, and showcases just how diverse and engrossing black metal can be.
Ur Askan is a strong opening effort, with slick, melodic leads setting a great, catchy tone that provides a great contrast with the denser rhythms and harsh, acidic quality of the vocals, with ethereal interludes lending a solid, atmospheric side to this track. It is, at points, relatively reserved, but lays some great foundations for the rest of the album. Tidsresan sees some post-rock influences begin to creep into the sound, with sublime guitar flourishes clashing with the harsher black metal, shifting between calm and cacophony with ease. Much like the track that preceded it, it ebbs and flows between different motifs, making for an impressive, eclectic offering. Genom Skog & Hav serves as a more powerful and speed-driven affair, with frenetic drums and equally energetic rhythms, along with some great hooks that have a similar post-rock edge as the last song, something that helps make this song all the more appealing. The abrasive howls and heavier moments pierce the glorious elements that dominate this songs sound, once again creating a great juxtaposition of styles that works extremely well.
Mother’s Way really ups the ante with the angelic shoegaze elements, stripping away the black metal influences within the bands sound, save for those acidic, coarse vocals, creating a lighter, but still thoroughly engrossing, feel that makes this song stand out from the three that came before it for all the very best reasons. Inget Liv Utan Dig takes all of the best elements of the previous songs sound, from the pristine guitars and imaginative riffing, and expands upon it, crafting a longer and more immersive song, whilst slowly reintroducing a few bits of black metal into the sound, punctuating the magnificent and grandiose musicianship on offer here with a grittier intensity without overdoing it, allowing the softer moments to carry the music.
Ljus, with its Gothic keyboard sections and noticeably more minimalist guitars, is a song that focuses on the atmosphere, acting as a great instrumental piece that accentuates the shimmering guitar tone and the Shoegaze aspects prominently, resulting in a brilliantly hypnotic and mesmerising climactic track. Blad & Rot, the progressive and punchy closing effort, sees these strengths further played to, and blended seamlessly with black metal, and works exceptionally well. It may be the albums shortest offering, but it manages to bring together all of this albums myriad influences in one place fantastically, ending the album on one of its more impressive and enduring notes.
It’s incredibly rare nowadays for a record with the “Atmospheric Black Metal” tag attached to it to apart from the pack for all the right reasons and add to the genre. Sol is, in essence, an amazing brew of shoegaze and post-rock with a little bit of black metal peppered in amongst to add a bit of intensity to proceedings, and if the listener is being brutally honest with themselves, it really didn’t need those little black metal flourishes in order to be a a great album. Sol not only proves to be one of the more interesting debuts of the year, but also sets a lofty benchmark for JORD to surpass.
Rating: 9/10
Sol is out now via Northern Silence Productions.
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