ALBUM REVIEW: Sticka En Kniv I Världen – Shaam Larein
Sometimes, you hit a point in your life where you want nothing more than to stick a knife in the world. Well good news for when that hits, because Sticka En Kniv I Världen is the literal Swedish translation of that, and it’s the sophomore release from SHAAM LAREIN. Formed in 2018, the band take their name from their singer, who blends her background in theatrical arts (with a particular interest in Russian movements) and her Syrian heritage with the goth/post-punk aura of SIOUXSIE SIOUX and LISA GERRARD to create a haunting landscape that could soundtrack any horror film around. Having spellbound with their 2020 debut Sculpture, the band have just released Sticka En Kniv I Världen via Svart Records.
The record opens with the title track, a cold affair that sprawls as Larein‘s voice shimmers over the top. One very noticeable thing about this record throughout is how the band are able to fill a space without overloading it with instruments or voices; despite the thin sounding guitars and threadbare production, the overall result is one that encapsulates the mood and feel well, exploring not just elements of goth and post-punk but doom and black metal as well. This continues into Flesh Of Gold, simple elements building on one another to create a sound that walks the tightrope between desirable and disconcerting. I Have No Face, the shortest track on the record, is a near three-minute monologue that perfectly shows Larein‘s background in theatre, more leaning towards a brooding performance art piece than a song, whilst Caress My Thoughts has an air of the song Black Sabbath about it in terms of its pacing and overall feel, the backing keyboards adding an extra element of sinisterism.
However, there is one element here that leaves the album wanting – an important aspect of any record is to balance the line between giving listeners an excellent piece of work in its own right, but also tempting them to go out and watch the band live (a factor even MORE critical in this day and age for a band to survive). Sticka En Kniv I Världen achieves the latter of these easily, but the tracks feel like they’re missing something that would only be present in a live setting. Given everything mentioned previously around performance art, this isn’t surprising, but it does mean the record, for all of its good points, doesn’t always hit the spot as an album one could listen to again and again, achieving an appetite whetting until the chance to see a live show comes around.
Leave Me Here To Die is a choice example of this – an unsettling tune, Larein‘s vocals cause goosebumps and the music gathering momentum through just the use of a continuous, ambient dirge and drums is a fine way to prickle the hairs on the backs of necks, yet the sense that you can’t invest completely in the track because you’re not watching the spectacle in the flesh lingers, thus leaving you in a weird limbo state of wanting to commit, but unable to.
SHAAM LAREIN have got a lot of potential, and it must be taken into account that they are only four years and two albums in as a band. Sticka En Kniv I Världen is a solid record with some great moments, but if they want to push forward to the next level, ensuring that balance between studio gratitude and live exhilaration needs to be met.
Rating: 6/10
Sticka En Kniv I Världen is out now via Svart Records.
Like SHAAM LAREIN on Facebook.