“Maledictus Eris” is the third album by Danish folk Metal anti-heroes Svartsot, who have themselves endured tribulations worthy of their fourteenth century inspiration. Classic-era Svartsot disintegrated in a welter of acrimony and blocked websites, shortly after the release of their first album in 2009. This included the catastrophic loss of lead whistler Stewart Lewis. From the glory days of “Ravnenes Saga” only lead minstrel J.S Fredericksen survives to keep the flames guttering. The whistler has been cunningly replaced by mandolins, and only mildly diminished the Svarsot cartwheel bumbles on.
Svarsot means ‘The Black Plague’ in Danish. The band’s third full length album is ‘Maledictus Eris’, (“cursed shalt thou be”). The cover art, featuring demons or similar claiming plague victims, also stokes that heady nostalgia for 1349-1350 - the year the Danish experience was marginally enhanced by the first visit of ‘The Black Death’, so called due to a (to anybody else) ghastly blackening of the skin, which was a symptom of the dread malady.
The band’s publicity shots have them decked out medieval style. It’s from about 200 years before the plague but who’s counting? And how does ‘Maledictus Eris’ work as an exploration of a society devastated at the diabolical hands of the most lethal disease in human history?
Considering the total collapse of everything and the strong likelihood of their own horrible demise, Svarsot have chosen to take the Black Death pretty well. Far from producing an infuriated, apocalyptic sound inferno, along the lines of, say, 1349, Svarsot portray the lighter side of Black Death. No doubt anticipating the increased social mobility which will inevitably follow the toxic onslaught, “Maledictus Eris” is a curiously cheery record.
This is primarily because all of the songs are half-time folk Metal, employing roughly the same tune which is inherently cheerful. It is used throughout the album (albeit with minor variations) and goes kind of “Rumpeldy rumpeldy rumpeldy-rum, dimbleby bimbleby dimbledy bim, rumpledy rumpledy rumpledy RUM, DIMbleby bimbleby dimbledy DIM” – which brings us neatly to the vocals.
The current convention is that all Metal vocals must be hideous. Svartsot keep the tradition alive, even though it is at odds with the mandolins and flutes bimble-dimbling about in the background. The superbly named Thor Blager belches along like Johan Hegg in a Darth Vader mask. Theoretically this would combine awesomeness with awesomeness, but reality doesn’t match theory. Frustratingly Blager has a stab at actual singing on “Spigrene”, revealing a pleasant light baritone reminiscent of a better Warlord Nygaard. It is by far the best track on the album.
The suggestion of dimness is supported by the lyrics. As is always the way the lyrics follow the rules of ancient Danish poetry or some such. However the band’s blurb states that the lyrics were actually written IN ENGLISH by Svarsot’s English bass player, James Atkin and then TRANSLATED into Danish. Whatever the impact on authenticity it reduces Svartsot’s potential audience by about 90% at a stroke.
Alan Sugar would be apopleptic; J.S Fredericksen very very fired.
The album starts, as these ventures inevitably do with some atmosphere (“Staden”). Babies are crying somewhere, there are some pipes and some people are talking about something or other. They don’t sound much concerned. Presumably it is news about the plague. Or a barbecue.
The second track “Gud Giv Det Varer Ved!” introduces the “rumpled rumpledy” riff, which the listener will be quite familiar with ten songs later. It ends with the best coughing fit since “Sweet Leaf” (everybody is very ill, remember). This is immediately followed by “Dodedansen” which is identical, except that the chorus is faster, causing Thor Blager to squawk like Dani Filth’s parrot.
“Farsoten Kom” is one of the two standout tracks on the album, courtesy of a thoroughly entertaining “Hey ho, hey we oh!” chorus which is incongruously jolly in the circumstances. It is followed by “Holdt Nef Af En Tjrn”, which again is somewhat similar to the other songs. “Den Forglaengle ho” starts with some kind of presumably medieval doingy thing, but then guess what? It is a mid-paced folk Metal number featuring a familiar riff.
“Om Jeg Lever Kleg” opens with some well executed interlaced riffery, and good use of pipes. It is followed by “Den Nidske Gud” which is a little faster, like a progressive Skyclad. “Spigrene” suggests that Blager could probably have saved the album if he had used his surprisingly good vocal skills, but with final track “Og landet Ligger Sa de Hen” we are back to “rumpledy dumpledy bleurgh bleurgh”.
And that is “Maledictus Eris”.
One impression is that the Black Death has been exaggerated. Nobody at the time minded much.
Another is that J.S Fredericksen needs a new riff.
http://www.myspace.com/svartsot
Graham Cushway
MTUK HOME
