Release date: 25th May 2018
Skuggorna Kallar by Skogen is a bit of a slow-burner. It’s not one of those albums that will immediately grab you, with the first couple of songs not really being anything special, but it’s worth sticking with because as the piece progresses, it definitely improves and draws you in.
After a shaky start, with the opening pair of tracks sounding somewhat lacklustre, it’s all too easy to write the album off as something not really worth your time to carry on listening to – but then third track Nebula changes that. It’s like Skogen finally has a bit of vigour to their performance and the added momentum to the piece alongside the hypnotic clean vocals are top-notch. Additionally, the instrumentation is very atmospheric, particularly the acoustic guitar lines, and the way the track blends effortlessly into the short ambient track that follows it is fantastic.
Although Skuggorna Kallar does dip a little bit again with some of the following tracks, another highlight is the final song The Funeral. There’s a spinetingling darkness lurking underneath the main body of the track, and helps to give the song an all-round sinister vibe as a whole. It’s a rather epic end to the album and rounds it up rather well, bringing it to a very satisfying close.
Skuggorna Kallar is a hit-and-miss album. When it’s good, it’s excellent but when it dips, it does become a much more difficult listen.
6/10
