Kvaen ignites again.
Five years after its creation, Jacob Björnfot (all instruments/vocals, Autumn Death, ex-The Duskfall) signs to Metal Blade Records and unveils his third album, The Formless Fire.
Drums were recorded by Fredrik Andersson (A Canorous Quintet, Vananidr, ex-Amon Amarth, ex-Netherbird…).
We find Kvaen‘s majestic coldness right from the opening moments of The Formless Fires, the eponymous composition where dissonance appears over a martial rhythm, then his fury when the rhythm accelerates and welcomes the first vociferations. The band sweeps us along on its journey, including a relatively melodious solo that contrasts with the dark atmosphere of Traverse the Nether, where a real change is felt, accompanied by Sebastian Ramstedt (Necrophobic, In Aphelion, ex-Nifelheim…). The atmosphere is more tense, some passages are resolutely more aggressive, and even the harmonics seem sharper, while Tornets sång slows down the pace again and transforms the base of the track into a veritable military march, while accompanying it with the usual worked touches and accelerations. The choruses are surprisingly much softer, adding a touch of clear backing vocals, then it’s with a certain dose of mystery that the band moves forward on The Ancient Gods, taking inspiration from the Old School roots of Black Metal, but the intriguing touch of leads still hovers over the riffs. The fury resurfaces with Basilisk and its frantic jerky rhythm, where the musician unleashes his fury without mercy, adding some unhealthy shadows to his music, then it’s with a touch of melancholy that De dödas sång bewitches us before hitting full power with its icy harmonics. The clear sound allows us to catch our breath quickly before The Perpetual Darkness takes us away in its relatively playful dance, which its creator manages to make heady even during the final blaze, before welcoming Chaq Mol (Dark Funeral, Mefisto, Mordichrist) on the melodious and intoxicating The Wings of Death, which closes the album with that catchy but still unhealthy and haunting touch.
In just five years, Kvaen finds himself at the head of an already extensive discography, perfectly rounded off by the majestic The Formless Fire. Jacob Björnfot can be proud of his achievements, and of offering us such majestic albums on such a regular basis!
95/100