Wormwood (Sweden): “Arkivet”

Quickly rising Swedish melodic black metal band Wormwood has recently released a new chapter of their sublime art, namely the new album Arkivet. The Stockholm band has evolved considerably after the first EP The Void: Stories from the Whispering Well. Wormwood has made an effort to find a sound that is theirs uniquely, and this evolution is set to continue. Wormwood wants to connect to the roots of their culture, Nordic myths, and even the glorious Swedish melodic tradition. Arkivet shows all this; it is the result of a remarkable compositional effort in which melodic black metal meets folk music, as in “My Northern Heart” with a melody on the violin at the beginning. Arkivet also incorporates sounds that are not typically associated with extreme metal but border on psychedelic rock, and you can hear that Wormwood loves Pink Floyd. This is especially evident in the clean parts where you can recognize the unmistakable sound of a Fender. The structure of the songs is a bit repetitive, though, if you want to be nitpicking, and it is mainly the clean parts that sound similar. However, this only partially affects the beauty of the album, which is, among other things, splendidly played by skilled and talented musicians and supremely produced. To conclude Wormwood is on the rise and Arkivet proves it, one of the best melodic black metal albums released recently.
 
Notes:
Arkivet was released on August 27, 2021 through Black Lodge Records.
 
Personnel:
Nine: Vocals
Oscar Tornborg: Bass, Vocals
Daniel Johansson: Drums
T.Rydsheim: Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
J.Engström: Guitars
Guest musicians:
Walter Basile: Vocals (additional)
Moa Sjölander: Vocals (additional)
Martin Björklund: Violin
 
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com