Info
- Band(s): Syn
- Label(s): Terratur Possessions
- Release Format(s): CD
- Release Year: 2023
- Review Date: January 11, 2024
- Author(s): VincentP
The latest offering presented by Terratur Possessions is Syn. While the collective behind it does not see a need to reveal the individuals behind it, the attentive listener might be able to pick up some hints. One clue for me was in the not too distorted, somewhat dry sound of the album at hand, their debut ‘Villfarelse’. It reminded me of the ‘Devouring Current’ EPs of labelmates Issolei, and upon revisiting those recordings another connection struck me: the rasping, rattling, hissing and spitting vocals of Issolei are awfully reminiscent of those that are on offer on Syn’s debut album ‘Villfarelse’. Whether Syn and Issolei are truly connected we’ll leave here as a mystery, but one thing is for certain: while both play Norwegian Black Metal, the styles are otherwise far from the same.
Issolei offered a rather unique and dissonant interpretation Black Metal, but Syn at most takes some those contrarian bending riffs into their music. Otherwise, the band’s sound is directly and deeply rooted in the Norwegian Black Metal scene of the nineties. A strong component is that of the oldest recordings by Ulver, in terms of the riffs, atmosphere and almost epic touch, but also the sporadic clean vocals such as in ‘Daudatale’ and the title track. Said atmosphere also has a lot in common with Vemod, of which for instance ‘Kaos møtte Sorg’ is a great example. This particular track also contains a beautiful bareboned final section with strumming and an absolutely delightfully deranged vocal performance that is more reminiscent of one of the underappreciated albums of the Norwegian scene, Forgotten Woods’ ‘As the Wolves Gather’. Add in hints of contemparies such as Whoredom Rife and Askeregn that similarly anchor their music in the Norwegian Black Metal sound of the early to mid nineties, and hopefully this should sketch a rather comprehensive picture of what’s musically on offer.
The majority of the album plays at a fierce pace. With a buzzing guitar and prominent analog drum sound, the production is by no means gritty or fuzzy, but is far from clean and polished either. Instead, the authentic flair gives free room for guitar riffs to melt together and allows one of the key highlights of the album to shine: the absolutely stellar vocals. They rasp, they hiss, sing, hum, cry out in despair and spit in anger, together weaving the threads of the songs together. Some of the more the repetitive and hypnotizing tracks ‘Ormekulde’, ‘Gjetergang’ and ‘Drømmen ved bålet’ seem dictated by these commanding vocals, but underneath the music slithers in a path of its own. Whether it’s intensifying drum pace or slowly developing guitar riffs, deception lies around every corner on ‘Villfarelse’. There’s also songs like ‘Daudatale’ that are almost epic and beautiful in the vein of ‘Bergtatt’. Whether it’s the slow and crawling appearance of ‘Til Giljotin’ or the uptempo and vile ‘Groregn’ with its skincrawling and unsettling riffs and throaty raspy vocals, ‘Villfarelse’ stands triumphant throughout all of its 40+ minutes.
Syn does a splendid job at uniting the sound of the early to mid-nineties Norwegian Black Metal, highlighting the likes of Ulver and Forgotten Woods and giving it a more contempary touch by adding some Enevelde, Vemod, Whoredom Rife and Askeregn. As with many of the bands on the Terratur Possessions roster, Syn’s fresh take and dedication to bring back the glory of the mid to early 90’s Norwegian Black Metal is a testament for the quality of the label and the never-drying well of talent that continues to spring one magnificent release after the other.
