### Stilla: Ensamhetens andar

#### 13/03/14 || sincan

Stilla is back with their second offering, after the instant super hard on generating first album. Do you, like me, feel the eager to dwell deep into this little motherfucker? Well, here we go.

It is not every black metal album that opens with a bass line. Then it has to be stressed that Stilla isn’t just any black metal band either. Whereas the first album were original in its way of incorporating different genres (but with a solid black metal base), clean and harsh vocals, Swedish melancholia, forest poetry, different tempos and some weirdness (in a good way) the second one dives further into the deep forest of “avantgardness”, prog and a more audible synthesizer.

It goes without saying that this follow up is more complex and harder to grasp than the predecessor, especially if you want something to just play there in the background, scratching your back and force you into a good mood. Obviously, by now, I like to compare this album with the first so why not continue with this winning concept? And how about the production? Well, I’m glad that I asked myself this! The production on this one is more clean (thus less trve cvlt), which makes all the details and tiny hooks to stand out more, whereas some atmosphere might be lost. This is not a huge problem, but it saddens me a bit since I like my atmospheric music and wants it to stay that way.

The first track that was revealed upon the peasants and yours truly was Till slutet which happens to be one of the most straight forward tracks on the album, but yet works perfect to tell you what Stilla is all about. The track changes pace, from black metal riffing to slower acoustic parts, melancholic harsh vocals to clean ones and a synth on top of this (here in the dress of a mellotron). The drumming is very solid and the bass comes and goes as it wants (just as it did on the first album). A special mentioning must be made about one of the most memorable tracks on this album (along with the rather unorthodox opener) is however the final track, “Skuggornas dop” (The shadows’ baptism) which utilizes typical Burzum/Lustre electronical arrangements, in the finest of ways.

Whereas Stilla’s debut hit me like a rock thrown by Loki, this one is a fine follow up and effort but yet it has not conquered the throne. Maybe it will after some time?

- Information
- Released: 2014
- Label: Nordvis Productions
- Website: nordvis.bandcamp.com
- Band
- Andreas Johansson: bass
- J. Marklund: drums
- Pär Stille: guitars, synths, vocals
- A. Petterson: vocals

- Tracklist
- 01. Vandring utan spår
- 02. Ensamhetens andar
- 03. Till slutet
- 04. Själavrängaren
- 05. Hjärta av sten
- 06. Tillägnan
- 07. Skuggornas dop