EP REVIEW: W Sercu Nieświata – Asgaard

Props to goth rockers ASGAARD for striking while the iron’s hot with this, a three-track acoustic EP reimagining tracks from last year’s What If… Their first album in a decade, the Poles have tracked an ANATHEMA-like course, bringing beauty and melody to the fore while retaining their relationship with the darkness. 

These unplugged renditions take What If… out of underground rock clubs and into more intimate spaces. Like ANATHEMA’s Hindsight, a similar exercise in giving familiar tracks an acoustic makeover, what W Sercu Nieświata achieves most is shining a spotlight on the band’s songwriting strengths. Whether amplified or raw, the bones of these three tracks stand up to being reimagined. So when vocalist Quazarre croons “Remember we are all living to die” on What If…, here it sounds introspective when its original had the anthemic and communal quality of a rock song. If it was previously a hymn, now it’s a prayer. It was a tune already dripping with bittersweet longing, but stripped back it takes on another layer of melancholy, further exposing the vulnerability as its heart. 

The title track, formerly peppered with emphatic double bass drums and driven by staccato lead guitar, is given new life with delicate piano work. While the EP is a brief listen – only three of What If…’s eight tracks feature – the band are frank about this new chapter in their career. Flumen, the band’s keyboardist, said: “Recording these songs in a non-metal manner was an entirely new challenge for us. We wanted to prove to ourselves – as well as to our fans – that we can successfully tackle playing in a different style, that we are open and versatile musicians and not afraid to try new things.” 

That means utilising an upright piano from 1895, and finding new ways of drumming when percussion had previously been used to pack a punch. It all pays off; W Sercu Nieświata is a gorgeous, tactile listen, allowing for greater appreciation of what was already a strong collection of songs on What If… If there’s any justice in the world, ASGAARD will find the acclaim that came to ANATHEMA as they refined and matured their sound. Based on this new chapter, based on these haunting and beautiful tracks, they deserve it. 

Rating: 8/10

W Sercu Nieświata is set for release on June 30th via Wormholedeath Records / The Orchard / Sony Music Ent.

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