Srodek is another solo project entry into the Black Metal musical library of underground releases. Hailing from Sweden, this project apparently did have another person by the name of Eldrit involved on the first demo, but according to the internet it was never released, and eventually it became the sole project of Nekrofucker, who also performs with Dod, Eldrit and Svarti Loghin. This act's debut full-length recording was extremely limited, feeding into that deep underground Black Metal culture by having only 100 printed CD copies made available for it's release in 2008. For those interested in this project and missed out on that very rare pressing, Sordek return with their second full-length offering, Forfall, which is being released through A Sad Sadness Song/ATMF in a nowhere-near-as-limited pressing so that more fans of Black Metal can actually pick up the CD and enjoy what the artist weaves. Given the material presented on this release, it's definitely a good thing, in the blackest of ways of course.
It's very rare to come across a one-man Black Metal project with fantastic production qualities anymore. The production of this recording is remarkably clear, but still a bit raw with guitars that aren't too rich, coming off with a more generic Black Metal tone that we've all come to expect, and overly echoed vocals that are right there, but feel distant due to that echo effect, giving an inhuman, ghostly-like trait to the recording. Basically, it takes a lot of the positive elements of compositions in the extremely raw releases of this style, but enhances them to a more digital state. Many will argue that by doing so, it takes away from the atmosphere of the album, but in the case of Forfall, that simply isn't what happens.
It's obvious that Srodek takes ques from acts such as Burzum and Immortal, pulling a very melancholic atmosphere that feels as emotional as it is dark and despairaging thanks to the ambient atmospheric guitars with a more ice-like feel to them that lurk in the background behind the loud lead guitars that are often far simpler then what is being played behind the sharp, traditional Black Metal distorted leads. Right off the bat, all of this works wonders on "Echoes from the Past" to instantly hook the listener, but it isn't really until the slow paced melancholy of "Bleak" that the overall atmosphere hits the listener, and the ghastly wails kick in to leave a lasting emotional print on the listener. Sadly, this experience doesn't carry through on all the songs, though many still have a sense of atmosphere one way or another.
The following song, and title track of the album, "Forfall", actually doesn't have much of an atmosphere to it. Infact, it seems to switch gears a bit completely. The material is not melancholic or dismal, but instead comes off a little more pagan sounding, and the vocals are more a shouting then a wail, which reflect both a common element of Pagan Black Metal, as well as a hint of Viking Black Metal. The music is still tight and well executed, but just isn't as impressive as "Bleak" in any form, though the slight nature atmosphere that comes off more as a general assumption of the song's direction then anything else does make up for it a little. This tends to be the general output for the rest of the material here, making the songs still come off enjoyable, but not quite as unique. "Vågtjärns Svarta Vatten", however, really takes the music into a traditional second wave Black Metal approach, using background guitars to really set up an ambience and atmosphere to the song that is as important as it was on "Bleak", though not making the track anywhere near as dismal. The wails are back, and outside them the vocals sound evil, as well as a bit crazed, perfectly suiting the less-Nature sounding Black Metal for just a generic dark and twisted track.
Had the album tried to stick to one specific kind of atmosphere, Forfall would have been a spectacular effort for a solo Black Metal project. Sadly, not all songs on here live up to the caliber and impressive traits that others have. "Bleak" is easily the strongest track, and while many other songs have hints of a melancholic world to them, the actual main atmosphere of this recording seems to stem from nature. While not a bad thing, it's captured well at times, and other's it's not really the atmosphere that indicates it, but rather a general feeling of knowing what the setting is supposed to be. Either way, for a professional, modern production recording, Srodek's follow-up Forfall is a highly enjoyable experience that no fan of the style would willingly pass up in their right mind.
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