Grá (Sweden): “Väsen”

Swedish Grá, a band I have covered many times in the past, need no introduction. And not only because singer Heljarmaðr is also the frontman of Dark Funeral. Already when I reviewed the sophomore album Ending in 2015, I wrote that Grá are one of the most important bands in the international black metal scene. The new album Väsen only reinforces my opinion. The band of Heljarmaðr produced a very different album from the typical nebulous and funeeral sound of the previous albums. Väsen broadens the soundscape of the band by incorporating grove as much as melodic elements, while the use of synths seems to be significantly increased; polyphonies have also been intensified. The atmosphere is always desolate, cold and glacial; the sound is thick like a wall as from tradition. Väsen is perhaps a more meditative album that interrogates the essence of life, in particular the Scandinavian spirituality:  “väsen” means indeed ‘essence’ in Swedish. To put it short, a masterpiece and one of the 2018 top albums.
 
Notes:
Väsen was released on April 27 2018 through Carnal Records.
 
Personnel:
Dimman: Drums, Keyboards
Heljarmaðr: Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars
Maugrim: Guitars
Vediger: Bass
 
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com