The EP is Vanskapt; the cover depicts a deformed face that matches perfectly the title that means precisely ‘deformed’. That the four guys of Avslut are seasoned musicians you can immediately understand as soon as you press the play button. They certainly pay tribute to the Swedish melodic tradition, but also to the glorious Norwegian tradition, especially Mayhem, and the result blends perfectly melodic riffs in tremolo with groove; some slower parts, as in “Vrede” or the eponymous track, remind me slightly of Khold, another Norwegian band. Avslut have worked very thoroughly on arrangements; the two guitars often work with low pitched phrasing and sometimes with slight dissonances and are in general always excellently intertwined. In this way, Avslut managed to give a touch of their own to their music and to create a very personal style. The atmosphere in this EP is always funereal, gray, unfriendly, unpleasant, which is in line with the themes addressed in the lyrics; if you translate the song titles from Swedish into English, you will have disharmony, anger, misery, deformity. Avslut depict a deformed, decayed and lost mankind; it is an extremely negative and misanthropic view, and the listener will feel it right away.
The production of this EP, although independent, is accurate in every detail in order to convey insanity and morbidity. To conclude, Avslut is a band to keep an eye on because they will surely do great things after this top-notch EP.
Notes:
Vanskapt was self-released on May 1 2016 only digitally through digital music stores such as Spotify, iTunes and Deezer.
Tracklist:
1. Mörkrets disharmoni
2. Vrede
3. Vanskapt
4. Misär
Personnel:
D. Bass
O. Drums
E. Guitars, Vocals
C. Guitars, Vocals
Text by Herjann
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