From Yav To Nav is the debut album from French black metal project Sviatibor and is about to be released on cassette via Into The Night Records, following its initial release earlier on this year.
It’s a fairly substantial listen and has a lot to give, but there is something about it that feels a little lacking. There’s nothing that quite sets the album apart from the crowd and it’s just a very standard-sounding album. It’s good; there’s no doubt about that, but From Yav To Nav just doesn’t feel unique.
There are some great inclusions on the album, such as the wonderfully dark Battle For The Gods, a track with a haunting repeating riff that swiftly worms its way into your head, and Lost And Dying In The Forest is an energetic yet despair-filled number that also serves as a gripping opening to the piece.
Unfortunately, From Yav To Nav does have some weaker tracks too and The Darkest Winter, the longest track of the album, just tends to go on and on, and whilst repetition works in some of the other tracks, it just feels a little much on this one and it does feel like a good few minutes could be shaved off without doing much harm to the song.
As a whole, From Yav To Nav is a decent listen. It’s black metal done well, but it’s sadly nothing special. Still, it’s definitely worth your time checking out.
6/10
The tape is available for purchase from here.
