Next Friday, Feb. 23, marks the arrival of the first album from Swedish endtimes drone duo Skrckvldet. Titled 1:23:40 and issued by Majestic Mountain Records into the digital ether, it is the combined ambient efforts of Alex Stjernfeldt (Grand Cadaver and the recently-featured Young Acid) and Peo Bengtsson of poetic dark-ambient droneweavers Beckahesten, and accordingly able to offer a sort of divergence from a perceived normative ‘heavy’ without straying so far as to be out of place. Sternfeldt‘s other acts being Majestic Mountain denizens and Beckahesten — whose 2020 debut, Vattenh​å​lens Dr​ä​pare is a consuming tapestry of human horrors — being so immersive creates a kind of balance that leads you, well, right into the abyss.

While one might look at the image of two dudes in hoods and read ‘drone duo’ en route to an immediate Sunn O))) association, this is the part of the post premiering their video for the single “Aftermath” where I cite some specific example to counteract that. Fortunately, although they’ve got me guessing at which vowel sounds go where in their moniker, Skrckvldet readily distinguish themselves in sound with “Aftermath,” whether it’s the busier layer of guitar deep in the mix or the post-industrial rhythm that repeats as a thread through the six-minute entirety. Repetitive by nature of the style, Skrckvldet are by no means at rest, and amid mounting swells of feedback, a monolithic tone feels declarative of intention. If you find yourself hearing throatripper screams buried in the aural rubble so vividly mourned, it’s an illusion but you’re not alone. Pretty sure there’s real birdsong in there though near the end.

And you know I’d love to tell you about the (likely) crushing claustrophobia and why-is-everyone-wearing-scary-masks chamber of malevolent secrets the entirety of 1:23:40 — which I can’t confirm but have no trouble believing is named after a coincidentally semi-sequential runtime, especially as a digital release — but the single’s all that’s out so it’s all I’ve got. And while it’s the nature of any extreme work that some will be able to find a place for themselves in its reaches and some won’t, both the conceptual exploration behind “Aftermath” and the palpable mood of the reality in listening offer more than the basic ‘here’s something that’s not just riffs’ differentiation, while yes, also that. Frankly, I don’t believe either need more justification for being than their being.

1:23:40 lands a week from today, and PR wire info follows the premiere of the “Aftermath” video below. I’m not sure if ‘enjoy’ is the right word here, but at very least be willing to immerse with an open mind.

So, to that:

Skrckvldet, “Aftermath” video premiere

Majestic Mountain Records is here to usher along the endtimes, and dredges from the depths the apocalyptic drone of Skrckvldet and their debut album ”01:23:40”.

The duo of hooded doombringers from Gothenburg, Sweden is Alex Stjernfeldt, of bands including Novarupta, Grand Cadaver, and Young Acid, and Peo Bengtsson of Beckahesten. Combining their cross-genre experience in heavy, malevolent sounds, the two birthed Skrckvldet, an exercise in droning, ambient chaos that soundtracks the dark and downward path of humankind.

Like some terrible, ancient presence, across five longform tracks SKRCKVLDET crunches and echoes, creeping forward with atonality and distortion. The thread is never lost amid the mix of noise and quiet, building towards an inevitable, crushing end.

SKRCKVLDET’s take on drone is, paradoxically, a dynamic one, balancing a suffocating use of silence with piercing squalls and lumbering distortion. Experience awe and apprehension in the keening tones of ”REVERBERATION III”, while tinkling keys provide brief respites from the colossal, looming weight of final track ”CHAOS”.

The end is nigh, and SKRCKVLDET have succeeded in the dismal task of giving Armageddon sonic form.

Album releases February 23rd (Digital only)!

Skrckvldet on Facebook

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Tags: 1:23:40, Majestic Mountain Records, Skrckvldet, Skrckvldet 1:23:40, Sweden

This entry was posted on Friday, February 16th, 2024 at 4:24 am and is filed under Bootleg Theater, Whathaveyou. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.