BERGRAVEN "Dödsvisioner" CD

Bergraven's main man, Pär, turns the traditional blast-and-flay aesthetic of frostbitten grimness on its ear and comes at us with sweeping riff dirges, winding cinematic passages, melodic guitar interludes, tortured yet vaguely authoritarian and Germanic vocal overtones an get this ambient pedal steel excursions. All of which is enough to make your head spin, especially if you are down with weirdness that transcends weirdness merely for the sake of being weird and comes out on the other side looking like a total fucking destroyer. What we’re saying is this: Dödsvisioner is not your typical black metal experience, and Bergraven is not your standard Swedish killing machine. Rife with complex dirge riffage, bleak and haunting melodies, and tradition defying rhythms, this black metal record is as torturous as it is wholly engaging. File in line with other black metal visionaries like Deathspell Omega, Ondskapt, and Leviathan.