The Faustian one-man-alone-in-the-basement-pouring-over-his-grimoire aesthetic has been part-and-parcel of black-metal since the beginning. So many of the diabolical genre's trappings were disgorged by one-man-band visionary and scene godfather Quorthon, the mastermind behind Bathory: the guttural screamy vocals, the lo-fi production style, and especially the whole Satan/viking paganism stuff. Fellow Swede, Pär Gustafsson, is the one-man black metalworker known as Bergraven.
On Dödsvisioner, his second album and first for his U.S. label Hydra Head, one can easily trace Gustafsson's evilosity to his fellow shrieking countryman Quorthon, but being signed to the indie metal imprint connotes a discernible difference: For one, Bergraven shows a definite influence from the increasingly influential U.S.-variety of one-man-alone-in-the-basement misanthropes such as Xasthur (helmed by Malefic), Leviathan (brainchild of Wrest), and most notably, Wrest's more ambient and arty project Lurker of Chalice. But also, and pretty rare for hard-core undie BM, Bergraven displays an obvious influence from the American metalgaze school such as Isis. (Sorta taboo for a genre known for it's slavish loyalty to "true" underground sounds.)
The varied influences here is what clearly works best, taking you on an ever-shifting journey of dark-- Dödsvisioner does mean "death visions"-- and rhythmically morphing jams: On opener "Döende" a long-silence fades into barely audible choral-singing and wind-sounds rolling in like storm clouds to block the sun for Damien Thorn's (sixth, natch) birthday party right before the nanny hangs herself. The neck-snappin' moment would probably correspond to what happens nearly three minutes in when a Tom G. (Celtic Frost) Warrior-- like "ergh!" grunt cues the start up for the badass creepy-crawly groove guitar, the mid-tempo plodding drums, the bloody larnyx shrieks, and the weird clunky xylophone sounds-- this is not your grandpappy's Darkthrone or Mayhem variety of extreme Scandinavian metal.
"Känsla Av Livets Nästa Skede" is a chunky midtempo stomper that keeps taking levitational time-outs via post-rocked atmospherics (think Isis) and proggy ax lines that most definitely copies some necromancy from forward-thinking BM Norwegians Enslaved. Like Enslaved, Gustafsson knows how to add twisted, yet melancolic six-string action-- often evocative of bad acid-eating experimental Frenchies Blut Aus Nord-- and how to bumper his strange and spooky fixations with crafty riffalicous rock. But Bergraven's rock flirtations shuttle-off too quickly revisiting the shadowy bits instead: "Den Svarta Angstens Essens" and "Det Man Med Själen..." spend way too much time in spider-webbed chorus-guitar haze-- similar to fellow Swedes Opeth's prog-goth forest romps.
For a BM record it's produced superbly (guitars and drums sound huge and heavy), there's lots of color (besides black and grey), and the frequent scenery changes (especially the modern BM rock nuggets) work great, but by the time "Ekot Av Bikt" arrives (song seven), the third in a row (and about fifth on the record) with the slow paced, noodling watery clean guitar weaves, things get same-y and beg for editorial guidance (most songs come in around seven minutes). If the dude can keep read up on the copious incantations he's collected in his spellbook and learn to write songs as adroitly as he crafts riffs and textures, Bergraven will be an unbeatable adversary.
