SKOGEN were formed in the year 2009 in Växjö, Sweden by Mathias Nilsson and Joakim Svensson, who got together to explore their mutual love for Atmospheric Black Metal. They soon were signed on by Frostscald Records and released their first full-length album "Vittra" in the year 2009. Linus Larsson on drums joined the band in the year 2011 and the band released "Svitjod" in the year 2011 followed by "Eld" in the year 2012 and "I döden" in the year 2014. Like most Scandinavian bands, SKOGEN, has its melody spot on and continues the in the tradition of churning out brutal, depressing, atmospheric Metal that has the power to transport.

The first track on the album is called "Dighra Dödh" and it is an introduction to the dark ethereal environment the band likes to sing about. The song is a slow brooding track and it has clean vocals as well as gruff guttural singing. The presence of keyboards lends an ominous air to the track and there is generous use of chanting bits that is a standard fare in Black Metal music.

"Vinterriket" is another song that starts out grimly with a sludge filled guitar riff and frenetic shrieks. The riff is a gloomy and it holds the song like a tattered bandage on a rotting corpse. The song clocks just over 11 minutes in length and is an example in maleficent Doom Metal. Peppered among the song are acoustic melodies that add an aura of balefulness to an already sinister track. "Storm" continues where the previous track left off with a doomed opening riff. The vocals are desperate and tortured and bring on a feeling of helplessness on to the listener. At around the 2-minute mark, the melody brightens up and changes direction ever so slightly and is a clever twist to the song. The track rambles its way to its end, prodded by double bass drums, dirge full riff progression and mournful guitar leads. "Blodörnshämnd" starts of at a faster tempo then most of the tracks on the album and is a bit of a change in scenery compared to the rest of the album. It is definitely a more "cheerful" song of the album with choir bits incorporated that give out a fearful feel. The album closes out with the title track "Svítjod" and it's a strong closing song. It begins with a simple haunting riff and continues through almost the entire song and it props the track extremely well. The track is a weird mix of a fast melody that is as quick as it is forbidding.

Listening to this album, one gets transported to dark twisted woods with grim evil lurking about. The entire album, barring a few songs, has an inhospitable vibe to it. There are some folk music influences that can be heard among its melodies. The band brilliantly paints a dark brooding, melancholic soundscape that is as deathly as it is mournful. The only downside for me was probably sub par production value and on some tracks the drums sounded a little flat. A definite must have for fans of this genre of Doom/Black Metal.<