Turku based sludge metal force SUNNIVA was formed in 2016 out of a shared hunger for the raw sonic power of heavy music. The band's name, derived from the Old English Sunngifu, meaning "gift of the sun", hints at the layered darkness and light woven into their sound. Blurring the lines between death doom, sludge, and post-metal, SUNNIVA summons the same seismic intensity as titans like AMENRA, NEUROSIS, and DARK BUDDHA RISING. Their past releases and this new album have cemented their reputation for crafting immersive, soul-crushing soundscapes. "We are constantly sold the dream of freedom", the band states, "but the reality is only a few understand what true freedom even is – or if it can exist at all." Listen. Witness. Be undone.

The album has six songs, and “Mercurial Bloodstreams” is first. The opening tones are dismal, swampy, and filthy, and the guitars are fuzzy with just the right amount of distortion. The song paints a desolate landscape, and it feels like a sore that just gets worse over time. “Peine Forte Et Dure” begins with another dose of slow dissonance that reminds me of an old man trying futilely to get out of bed in the morning. His aches are just too much for him to even be able to move. The vocals vary from blood-curling screams to low guttural, and each are as effective at pushing the hopeless sound as the other. You can also feel the pain of each lead guitar note, and they feel like large needles going into your flesh.

“Valovaltimo” has a livelier sound, as if they subject now is fully in control of his capacities and ready to push through the pain with anger. The bottom end of this song is so cavernous that it seems to have no discernable floor. “Opening the Key” brings a bit of tension and mystery to the album. The slow crawl of bass notes is accompanied by some frightening background elements, and the vocals speak of unimaginable horrors. “Sun Funeral” sees the skies lighten a bit as some melody tries hard to break through, but the blackness of the void keeps it at bay. The clean vocal harmonies actually carry a good deal of pain with them. “Hung from the Sky” is the final cut. For me, the title symbolizes some sort of final torture, and that is what I hear from the music.

This was a wonderfully hopeless album that wallowed in despair, despondence, and even depression. Their combination of Sludge, Death, Doom, and even Post Metal resulted in a landscape of a frozen tundra where no light can get in. For me, it’s like being put into a hole in the ground and you captor piling dirt on top so that there will never be a means of escape. You are left with just your thoughts, for all eternity.