Genre : Blackened deathcore, Djent, Symphonic doom.
Released : February 12th, 2021
Label : Unique Leader Records
FFO : Vildhjarta, Black Tongue, Meshuggah, Enterprise Earth
Perhaps the first album of the year for which I was very excited after the flawless trail of singles leading to its release ; On "Välde", Humanity's Last Breath continue to seemlessly and organically blend together deathcore, djent, doom, death metal, atmospheric black metal and post-metal which are all tied together by the symphonic, orchestral arrangements which give the already monumental compositions a heightened allure of grandeur and viciousness.
HLB have always had this "cinematic" dimension to their sound but "Välde" has taken that part of their identity to new heights and further cemented it as being part of their DNA.
Of course, the album offers a generous quantity of odd tempo, pitch-shifting breakdowns HLB are so well known for and the creativity in regards to the guitar parts has been turned up another notch with the extensive use of MIDI programmed FX pedals and very cool usage of panning.
The level of production is actually as phenomenal as the compositions themselves and pretty much steals the show.
Indeed, the songs never feel crowded and every sonic element can be heard distinctly and hits the ears with an incredibly precise and dynamic impact.
This is such a bleak, atmospheric and malevolent record that firmly grips the listener from the very first seconds and relentlessly drags them through its dark canvas without ever loosening its hold.
The breakdown of "Spectre" is one of the most evil things I've heard in music so far this year and there's so many moments like this that had me cradling my head in the palm of my hand, eyes closed in disbelief, grimacing from how beautifully vile it all sounds.
Other similar moments include the choir breakdown of "Dehumanize" followed by its black metal outro and of course, the orchestral buildup to "Tide" 's cathartic post-metal outro that drew so much attention to the band when it was released and is one of my favourite moments in recently released music.
The vocals are as brutal as ever and the new approach to cleaner sounding vocals is a lot more impactful compared to what could be heard on "Abyssal" with the addition of new singing techniques never heard before in HLB's music.
The placements for these sections within the tracks that feature them make them extremely memorable and really makes those tracks stand out.
The only negative things I would have to say would be that I feel like the band used too many of their best tracks as singles and that it kind of ruined the enjoyment of discovering them on a first listen of the full album. But then again on the other hand I was very happy to be able to listen to them as much as I did prior to the album's release.
The lyrical theme centered around "the void" kind of came off as a bit cliché for the genre from time to time as well but the music itself is impressive enough for them to be able to get away with it, so it's nothing too major.
As a conclusion, I would close off by saying that "Välde" does not necessarily invent something entirely new, however it does push the genre the band exists in forward by melding all these different styles of extreme metal together and creating such an organic ensemble that blurs the lines between said genres and elevates them to a new level with this creative approach to production and songwriting. And the emphasis on the cinematic element to HLB's music on this record only goes to show how well they are capable of improving and expanding upon their terrifying sonic universe.
I sincerely consider Buster Odeholm to be one of the main current leading figures in extreme metal, not only as a performer but as a songwriter and producer as well.
Bravo sir and congratulations HLB on this new release!
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