The DevilsHorns

Kvaen is the brainchild of Jacob Björnfot, a one-man black metal wrecking crew from one of the most remote parts of Sweden, a town called Kalix (is that not a song?). The Formless Fires is his 3^rd album and when you listen to it, you will struggle to believe it is the work on one man.

That said, Black Metal is littered with one-man bands, one thinks of Burzum, but we don’t really talk about them nowadays do we. Kvaen is no Burzum. No, Björnfot is far more talented than ‘Varg’. The Formless Fires is full of galloping riffs, acoustic intro’s, guttural vocals and seamless solos that just blend in the very guts of the song. Is he a genius? Perhaps!

almost easy-listening relaxing atmosphere created by, ‘The Perpetual Darkness’. This relaxed atmosphere, perhaps relaxed is stretching things a bit, is interrupted by a searing guitar solo that you just don’t get in standard Black Metal albums.

Another benefit The Formless Fires provides is the relatively short length. It is 8 tracks long, 8 tracks with zero filler and absolutely no downtime. It rattles along with composed ease.

The riffs…. Oh the riffs…. the tone of the guitar is utterly entrancing. It captivates you, especially in ‘Tornets Sång’, another song with an intricate solo.

Album closer, ‘The Wings of Death’ builds a sense of anticipation as you wait for the explosion to happen. It never really explodes and the track is almost tame compared to the preceding songs. This isn’t much of a criticism, as the restrained ending brings a wonderful album to a very natural close.

The Formless Fires is a great introduction to Black Metal. It will probably anger the militant purists, but who cares about them!

Listen to this and improve your life!

Facebook

Instagram