Band:	Svarttjern
Album:	Draw Blood
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	December 06, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Determination
02. Follow Through
03. Draw Blood
04. Don't Contain Your Lust
05. Erect Your Congregation
06. Lick My Flesh
07. Chop, Slit, Flay
08. luminium Bat Domina
09. Under My Thumb
10. Sin, Offer, Obey

Up until now, Svarttjern haven't drawn much attention to themselves, but let's now see what happens when these trve Norwegians Draw Blood.

Svarttjern (Norwegian for Black Tarn) are a trve kvlt Norwegian black metal band spawned from the cold, majestic lands at the tail end of the 2nd wave in 2003. The band was first established by brothers Hans Fyrste (vocals), and HaaN (guitars), before fresh blood in Fjellnord (guitars) and Grimmdun (drums) were introduced to the ranks shortly after. This was followed by latest addition Malphas (bass), who joined in 2015. Even by Norwegian black metal standards, Svarttjern are a relatively unknown underground act, but that's not to say they deserve any less recognition than their fellow trve kvlt countrymen.

The band now unleash 10 relatively short, ferociously energetic songs of unholy blackened terror through their latest and 6th full-length release Draw Blood. This latest offering sees the band show glimpses of both 1st and 2nd wave material, whilst also taking a step back from their standard Trve Norwegian black metal ways as they venture more towards black 'n' roll and blackened speed territory. It's also noticeable that they've developed a higher level of maturity in their songwriting since they emerged onto the scene over 2 decades ago.

It's an obvious sign that, when a black metal album containing song titles such as "Lick My Flesh" and "Chop, Slit, Flay" with blasphemous lyrical content, the music is going to be twisted, sinister, and damn right ferocious. "Determination" begins in exactly this manner. The song starts off with a creepy narrative intro, which soon erupts into the ferociously fun black metal I'm talking about. The tremolo riffs are delightfully melodic despite their sheer ferocity, and so too is the groovy, adrenaline-fueled rhythm section. This is led by some prominent groovy bass and stylish drum beats, which make a change from just regular furious blast-beats. The most interesting element of all for me has to be the vocals. Aside from the tortuous shrieks and desperate howls, there are some interesting clean singing, which are often performed in a narrative and a quite cinematic manner. Maybe they aren't quite performed in such a demonically convincing or evil manner as most in the genre (like, say, Atilla of Mayhem), but even so, they certainly have enough edge to send the odd shiver down the listener's spine.

Songs such as "Aluminium Bat Domina" unleash some edgy, old-school crust-punk with the vile blackened attitude of Celtic Frost and early Darkthrone, whilst "Under My Thumb" offers some ferociously energetic and highly enjoyable blackened speed, similar to the likes of Skeletonwitch. So there's certainly enough to keep your adrenaline pumping and keep you headbanging without getting too carried away. Draw Blood is undoubtedly the band's most well crafted and diverse album yet. It manages to bring a breath of fresh air to the trve Norwegian black metal scene. Bands too often get stuck in their orthodox trve kvlt ways, too stubborn to step out and Draw Blood like the way Svarttjern have done here.