Vildhjarta - Måsstaden under vatten (2021)

VILDHJARTA don’t so much write music as create cosmic rifts through time and space itself. It has been too long since we have heard from them and for a long time the only hope as a resurgence was the odd cryptic Facebook post or sporadic, tantalising teasers. And yet a whole decade since the release of their last full length – the seminal Måsstaden – they are back, armed to the teeth with the kind of heavy ammunition we have grown to love and expect from them. Cue flashbacks to their stunning records of old and their emphatic performance at UK Tech-Fest in 2019 – spine tingling reminders of just how much we’ve missed this band.

Upon hearing the news of new music from the legendary Swedes however, initial excitement could be forgiven for quickly turning into a modicum of worry. There is a real sense of legacy to live up to, what if it doesn’t succumb to expectation? Rest assured that any doubts need not persist. Måsstaden Under Vatten captures VILDHJARTA at their explosive best. It is an eighty minute exercise in supernatural djent, deployed with a level of precision that can only be compared to genre greats such as TOOL and MASTODON. Here is a band that epitomises the meaning of ‘diamond in the rough’, quietly redefining what it means to be a heavy band, and orchestrating the future flow of a whole genre.

Across a lengthy span of seventeen tracks, VILDHJARTA deploy a devastating array of riffs and groove, shifting from crucifying heaviness to thick-set atmospherics in the blink of an eye. From the outset, Lavender Haze begins to defy logic in what must be the biggest middle finger to physics since an apple fell on Newton’s head. It is a sucker punch of frenetic metal which flies out of the traps with unprecedented power and finesse. Maybe we’ve just forgotten how impactive those downtuned riffs can be, but here they’re painted on like thick tar; all encompassing and long lasting.

And so the tone of the album is set. När De Du Älskar Kommer Tillbaka Från De Döda introduces vocals to the equation, again offering profound depth and sounding abundantly heavy. As the two released singles, Kaos2 and Toxin give us more of the same before Brännmärkt wades in with towering levels of groove. As pioneers of the Thall movement (essentially djent with atmosphere so thick you can consume it with a spoon) VILDHJARTA have never been strangers to writing technical music, but here they reach a level of intricacy that even they haven’t scaled before. It could unfairly be criticized as just being chug worship, but the reality is that VILDHJARTA are wizards and this album is thoroughly enchanting.

A possible stand out is Måsstadens Nationalsång, which sees a delicate introduction burst into strobing riffs and dense ambience. It’s X-Rated heaviness, and as synths pulse through the track like an organic beat, we are repeatedly stuck by cochlea shattering drums and an onslaught of guitar. Other highlights include Vagabond and Mitt Trötta Hjarta but to save from any further spoiler alerts, the general consensus remains the same; VILDHJARTA are very, very good.

The band will still remain as an enigma to some. As an entity they aren’t particularly communicative. They tend to let their music do the talking, and some of the members are perhaps better known for the more prominent project HUMANITY’S LAST BREATH. But they hardly need to be marketing extraordinaires. VILDHJARTA is an outlet for relentless creativity and the kind of bonkers musicianship that would scarcely make sense anywhere else. They have created another album that embodies their philosophies, their willingness to experiment and take music to places it has never been before. With surprises and ideas at every turn, it will shock and impress. We should all be excited that this band is back with what is a landmark release and an eye-opening experience. Let’s just hope it isn’t another ten years before the next one!