When venturing online for new music or bands to check out, I try to find something that really stands out and I did when first discovering THIS GIFT IS A CURSE. We all know a lot of amazing metal bands come from Sweden such as Dissection, In Flames, Amon Amarth, Bathory, At the Gates…the list goes on. This Gift Is A Curse is truly something new and pleasing to the ears. The band combines elements of hardcore and sludge with influences from occult black metal as well as drone and it works perfectly.
“All Hail The Swinelord” is something different than their previous release “I, Gvilt Bearer.” This album is darker and more vicious with melodies that come through at all the right times. Everything is perfectly blended from the more raw black metal tracks such as “Swinelord” and “We Use Your Dead As Vessels” to the epic eleven minute track “Askrådare” that is entirely in Swedish. A choir and use of clean vocals accompany the bleak otherworldly vocals which send chills down the spine. This Gift Is A Curse saved the best for last by closing the album with the most progressive track that gradually ascends and leaves a contradictory feeling of an all devouring void of lamentful melody meets raw aggression.
The bar is already set high for Swedish bands due to being one of the capitals for great metal music and This Gift Is A Curse surpassed that bar. With beautiful melodies that subtlely creep up on the listener to the in your face raw black metal assault, this is a well rounded step into the right direction for blurring the genre titled lines. This is one of those albums that you will have to take my word for it and give this a listen. No words can do this release any justice, definitely one of the most original albums to date. This album will resonate with you for years to come.
MY VOTE:
5.0 / 5.0
