Svartgren "Divlja Vatra" CD Digipack

Release on 6 panel digipak cd

Svartgren has been around for a decade and a half, though they haven’t released a ton of material. Divlja vatra is the band’s second full length album, with the first Prazan grob, having been released back in 2015. The latest offering features eight tracks of intense, riff-driven black metal clocking in around forty-two minutes.
Divlja vatra sounds like a mix of east European pagan-tinged black metal and ravaging, fiery second wave black metal. The music isn’t a far cry from many eastern European projects, with aggressive yet highly melodic riffing and immersive song writing, but the raging wash of tremolo riffs and blasting drums call to mind the likes of 1349 and Tsjuder at times. The resulting sound is one that crackles with energy as thick, meaty chunks of chest thumping bravado collide with raging, windswept tremolo riffs that sound like they were ripped from right behind the iron curtain. The production is quite clear, allowing the riffs and percussion to shine through brightly, though not dismissing the forceful raspy snarls that serve as vocals. While the riffs seem to hold my attention more than any other aspect of the album, the drummer is off the charts with constant double bass runs and blasts and some impressive fills and handwork,which shouldn’t be surprising since he played in the legendary Serbian band The Stone for a few years.
Honestly, this is a fantastic album and it’s a shame that it’s coming out right at the end of the year, as this surely has the potential to shake up a lot of year end lists; that is, if people hear it in time. This is finely crafted black metal that borrow from two of my favorite scenes, and with enough varied pacing and movement throughout to keep it interesting. While it is aggressive and forceful at its root, the melodic nature of the riffing is striking and serene. Svartgren has struck gold with Divlja vatra, so don’t surprised if you start to hear their name thrown around a lot more often from here out.

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