"The Rift" is the new EP release from SVÄRD (2017), a confab of German and Sweden based musos, not to be confused with the another rockin' band called SVÄRD from Morelia, Mexico. IN MOURNING members Tim Nedergård and Björn Pettersson teamed up with their former bandmate bassist Pierre Stam and drummer Cornelius Althammer of German doomsters AHAB. Extensive jam sessions followed in Sweden and the collective recorded "The Rift" released on Italy's powerhouse label Argonauta Records. The band is managed by Ze Män with 40 Mouths - maybe the guy with 20 Eyes in His Head books the shows? "The Rift" was mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren whose work with SABATON, HYPOCRISY, IN MOURNING, OCTOBER TIDE and AMORPHIS is legend.

'Hallowed Grounds' is a throwaway 58 seconds of sound-bite nothing which thankfully ends quickly enough for 'A Rift in the Green' to get hoisted up the mizzen and dangle a sludgy MOTLEY CRUE chunka chunka-tease that drives one round on the pole then dissolves like effervescent aspirin in 50ml of water, un-memorably finishing mid-pack. Dinosaur Days metal hit 'Palaeocene Flames' kicks at the MASTODON goalpost sending Cornelius Althammer forward to hang the mighty meter on these songs - his drumming is knightly, holding court for the bent-knee knaves of string riffs to petition our metal lords.

'The Burning Asylum' is a powerful ditty with both guitarists teaming on the chorus, and after that first chorus I catch some lift as the music ascends sprouting impatient muses that plead for peace in this world - uh, I am not sure about the world peace part but what-evah. My favourite song 'The Portal' is the 9+ minutes monter au beurre of heavy, heaving riffs with astral noize butter whipped up by both lads on vocal duty while pointed toward Shure SM57s and blasting full-throated verses. The dual vocals approach is effective high tide on "The Rift". Either Tim or Björn sounds familiar to me and reminds me of a banshee vocalist I can't quite place, similar to the super siren of Mike Scheidt of YOB, a true metal lord. Have a listen and maybe you can pick it out.

Fans of IN MOURNING and AHAB won't need marching orders to partake of this, a toasty jimmy-jam of driving metal music that never goes snout-down into thrash or death, managing to keep the dynamics in pretty much the rock-out gear and is a departure from the lads current musical group art. If you dig the MASTODON 'Leviathon' era and HIGH ON FIRE in their 'Blessed Black Wings' period with a glob of YOB on top, have a go at this short release. It gets better with repeated rounds of Olde Speckled Hen.

Ich denke ich bin verrückt und dani bandoliers Spotify liste der rezensierten bands...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/272H3UBARsuksY3BqU0CzP?si=AQCwVS3ZRdO4awBuAQBlxw