To be honest, we thought we knew where we’d sit with + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar +. It’s Vildhjarta‘s third original LP, and the band is known for maintaining a particular sound, so expecting something fresh from the band actually seemed somewhat unrealistic. We were ready for something we liked, not loved.
Don’t get us wrong – we’ve loved every one of them so far, each for different reasons. It took us years to appreciate 2011’s Måsstaden and the art of THALL, but once we learned to hear how it differentiated from djent and other adjacent tags, the band’s nuance and atmosphere were able to coalesce, thus opening hearts to the non-linear Swedish nightmare that found itself continued on 2013’s Thousands of Evils.
And then, as everyone knows, that was it. For years, Vildhjarta had all but disappeared, with all mentions of appearances or lineup changes feeling vague or filled with false hope. However, one of these vague additions was Buster Odenholm of Humanity’s Last Breath, an all around stellar musician with a variety of quirks that lent themselves perfectly to Vildhjarta’s mirth-filled, mushroom tripping Meshuggah worship. Arguably, he understood what the band was going for and even helped take these tendencies to the next level, as evidenced on the band’s triumphant 2021 return, Måsstaden under vatten.
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In an absolutely loaded year for music, Måsstaden under vatten still came out in the top ten of a number of year end lists for 2021, ours included. In retrospect it’s also worth noting that the record was a functional farewell to last of the band’s founding members, with the last of them leaving during the production for + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + . Typically, this is an undeniable death knell for any creative endeavor, as too many tweaks can ruin the simplest of recipes.
Vildhjarta is anything but a simple recipe, so yes, up until today, we reserved space for the notion that after years of giving nothing but gold, we might get some silver or bronze this time around. But today, we’re overjoyed to assure you that THALL’s flagship collective is perfectly preserved on + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar +. In fact, it’s got potential to be their best record yet.
Right off the bat, to our ears, this is really the first time the band has introduced melodic vocals to the mix so cohesively. We’ve never had our heads so far up our asses that clean vocals felt out of place in principle, but they always seemed like surprises with Vildhjarta rather than organically charged moments. This is the second album with the band pairing down to a single vocalist, but Vilhelm Bladin takes this challenge in stride even better than he did last time, not just showing off a variety of nasty heavy palettes but better, more evocative cleans than ever before.
One tweak to the formula for this record is that they’re down to a single guitarist, which is considerably more risky. But funny enough, Calle Thomér’s arc is similar to their singer’s. Tackling guitars solo for a Vildhjarta would be an intimidating, relentlessly punishing experience for even the most capable of shredders. Yet Thomér’s vaguely blues-y, psychedelic undertones when it comes to some of the more experimental textures on “+ sargasso +” and “+ den spanska känslan +” feel right at home. It grows the band’s existing lore in an exciting, but more importantly believable way. It might feel slightly less classic THALL, but to see Vildhjarta grow beyond the confines of the style they defined is beyond rewarding.
It wouldn’t be a Vildhjarta record if it wasn’t utterly incomprehensible at times, from hyper-extended meters and abrasive guitar to drums unexpectedly smashing through the mix like cataclysmic debris, and that it is. It’s got all that in spades. But + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + also makes more sense narratively than anything the band has put out before, and it’s unique sense of pacing and space make for the most original and impressive thing they’ve done since måsstaden.
We know that’s saying a lot, but we mean it. + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + is proof there’s a lot of magic left in the bottle, and that whatever lies ahead, at this point, everyone should know to keep the faith.
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