Sweven - The Eternal Resonance - review
Sweven - The Eternal Resonance - review
Tracklist
01. The Spark02. By Virtue Of A Promise
03. Reduced To An Ember
04. The Sole Importance
05. Mycelia
06. Solemn Retreat
07. Visceral Blight
08. Sanctum Sanctorum
A review by
nikarg April 24, 2020
The story goes a bit like this: Sleepers In The Rift was a good death metal record but did not break any new ground in the sense that it more or less mirrored Autopsy and Death. The album Sweven caught listeners off guard as it was an almost complete departure from the debut, with so many different ideas that maybe felt disjointed during the first listens but the more time you spent with it the more its pieces were falling into place. The Eternal Resonance by the band Sweven sounds like the natural follow-up of 2014's album Sweven by Morbus Chron.
This is even less of a strictly death metal album though. The core is a mix between atmospheric death and progressive metal, but you can also hear some doom, metalgaze, black and plenty of post rock. The acoustic parts often have a jazzy aura, accentuated by the rhythm section's performance, something that adds many extra class points to the final product. The vocals are not so frequently heard since the emphasis is on the instrumentals of the album, but they do appear in various forms when the songs need them, mostly as a post-metal or hardcore-ish mix of Chuck Schuldiner and Jeff Becerra - if that makes any sense.
I cannot single out any particular track(s) because I think they are all excellent and they all contribute something equally important to the album as a whole. I could mention a few special parts, such as the shoegazey middle section of "By Virtue Of A Promise" and the complete change of mood that it leads to, the intricate solo of "The Sole Importance", the groovy main riff of "Mycelia" (the most accessible cut of the record), or the last three tracks in their entirety; quite frankly, the album as a whole is almost flawless.
The Eternal Resonance is introspective and so dreamlike that it twists and bends reality, and it surely needs time to fully unfold its sprawling greatness, even though you realize from the very first listen that this is extraordinary stuff. These days most people rush to judge from the first few seconds rather than sit down to discover and experience the music, because everything is about instant gratification and you can hit 'next' any time you want. Sweven's debut is not 'fast food' metal music; it is a gift for the soul of those who have a will to explore its atmospheric and dazzling sonic territories.
This aural work of art comes in waves of rhythms and emotions and it is the product of opposing forces, different textures, and multiple layers so that its resonance stays with you long after it is finished. Raul Gonzalez's beautiful painting on the cover reflects exactly that resonance.
This is album of the year material right here.
"Once chosen, now destined to wither
Bearing the burden of death
In a procession of the blind
Towards the steepest of cliffsides
Chasing the lost and divine
Looming in the distance enshrined"
Comments
Comments:
19
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133 users
 Posts: 9638 |
Posts: 9638
AOTY material alright
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 5989
Shit I wasn't even aware that any of the Morbus Chron members had started new bands. Your review has me sold, I'll be getting on this ASAP 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 8278 Written by Auntie Sahar on 24.04.2020 at 15:41 Let us know what you think of it, I came very close to 10 this, to be honest.
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 Posts: 8696 |
Posts: 8696
I'm almost annoyed at how much music I've had on my radar to check out, meaning I haven't been able to revisit this yet. Very much looking forward to doing so when I've finally got an empty queue; on first listen, it sounded a lot like the best bits of Morbus Chron's Sweven without the niggles that meant they didn't click for me, a really interesting album
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Posts: 9638 Written by musclassia on 24.04.2020 at 20:29 Same
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 8696 Written by RaduP on 24.04.2020 at 20:34 Today has been ridiculous, I've heard 3 top-quality records (Elder, Barishi and Ulcerate), and only half-cleared the queue of new releases/recs I built up during the day.
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Posts: 9638 Written by musclassia on 24.04.2020 at 20:38 Don't sleep on the new Fange either. But back on topic, I'm giving this one another spin, and goddamn this is a grower.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 8278 Written by Lanthros on 25.04.2020 at 23:46 You'd be amazed if you knew how many albums from the '90s that we consider to be great today (and they are) were actually frowned upon when they came out exactly because they were breaking new ground. Luckily, metal and metalheads have evolved and we have finally learnt to appreciate experimentation. I am pleased the review made you check this one out. I really can't praise it enough, and it will take something extraordinary to steal the #1 spot in my year-end list from it.
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Posts: 1101
An atmospheric death metal record that puts good emphasis on the atmospheric parts. Absolutely great stuff. Glad I read this review and glad I took the time to listen to this record. On of my favourite ones so far this year.
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Posts: 1342
Wow, what an album (that I had also missed in 2020)!! One of the best things I have heard in a while. AOTY material for sure. Your review is spot on as always.
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 Posts: 1534 |
Posts: 1534
I also missed this in 2020 (like I missed a metric fuckton of good stuff) and yeah, this is a masterpiece.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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Posts: 8278
I am so pleased you guys found this, better late than never  I have not changed my opinion one bit since when I wrote the review.
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Posts: 7936
Has this album shaken the MS Towers? I can hear the siren.
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Posts: 8278 Written by Cynic Metalhead on 31.01.2021 at 08:20 Only a few hours left to find out 
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Posts: 1525
Is this how Death would have sounded like, 2-3 albums after the Sound of Perseverence?
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