### Skogen: Svitjod

#### 30/08/12 || sincan

Skogen is that exact position on the tourist map which you point your finger at when an annoying tourist, who is wearing a metalcore band shirt, is asking for the way to the local rock/metal pub. You are of course pointing at that green area, were trees, moss and animals which are really hard to pet are living. Hopefully there are bears, lions or/and rabies infected velociraptors living there as well. The peasant will most likely smile and say thanks, you will most likely grunt and put your headphones right back so that you don’t miss more of the fantastic Isengard song you’re listening to for the moment of hatred and inverted joy.

Skogen is Swedish and can be translated into the Forest, in my humble opinion a fan’fuckin’tastic name, but it also gives the owner a burden. If you have that type of a name and play bad, sucking and penismelting (in a bad way) music you will most likely end up being anally sodomized by a bunch of erected satyrs. I guess we have a problem here since some people actually like this kind of activity so let’s hope and pretend that they will never see what in their eyes might be a free pro-tip.

You don’t need to have a master degree in extreme metal to understand that these guys, whit this name, play black metal. It’s not the typical raw, trve and cvlt style but more of an epic and sometimes beautiful (not in a purple unicorn way) forest inspired black metal with pretty clear production and mostly harsh vocals It’s sometimes mixed up with acoustic guitars and some clean vocals as well which really fits well in their music. I would say that they are pretty easy listened for being black metal. It’s not like they’re pop or soft or anything, it’s just kind of relaxing, yet knocking for your attention with pretty awesome riffing and fitting solos and not like you have total chaos impaling your body openings. Therefore I think that their sound might also attract people who aren’t die hard warriors of the forsaken serpents crawling out from the womb of Lilith.

When I first got this album I kind of had it on repeat 24/7. Yeah I fuck, take a shit, eats, sleep, work, etc. while listening to music (in my dreams at least). See what I did there, do I listen to music in my dreams, or are my dreams about me listening to music 24/7? I guess you will never know and for this you feel sorry. Well I had the album on repeat just because it got something which new metal often lacks, it’s hard to say exactly what it is but the album feels kind of timeless and have much elements from the old school era of nature inspired black metal, like early Ulver, which many of today’s band forgets about while doing another “modern” black metal attack which sounds like everything else, except the fact that it’s worse than everything before. This is a disease well known for all extreme metal genres but the hope gets new energy for every band out there with a genuine way to carry the legacy of the music into our fucked up times of shitty music, no music videos on MTV and people crying on TV because they get fat when they eat ice cream and bacon.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Frostscald Records
- Website: Skogen MySpace
- Band
- Joakim Svensson: vocals, guitars, bass
- Mathias Nilsson: vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
- L. Larsson: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Dighra dödh
- 02. Häxsabbat (crimen laesae divinae maiestatis)
- 03. Midnattens glimrande stillhet
- 04. Begraven
- 05. Vinterriket
- 06. Storm
- 07. Natthymn
- 08. Blodörnshämnd
- 09. Dauðaferð
- 10. Svitjod