The amount of musical chemistry necessary to pull off music like this is astounding enough, but Vildhjarta clearly approached this album with more than its essential components in mind. To take things farther, cuts like “Passage Noir” and “Heartsmear” pack some massive dynamic shifts to keep everyone guessing, ranging from slow-burning, molasses-caked riffs, hammering blast beats, rousing melodies or devastating drops. They never stop, and they’re far too complicated to be an actual breaking down of anything. It’s hard to even call the face-breaking grooves of a cut like “Brännmärkt” breakdowns. It might take a few minutes to follow the path Vildhjarta paves with their songs, but make no mistake: everything they write is meticulously orchestrated. It’s best to sit back and let the music move instead of trying to extrapolate motifs right off the bat. The track emphasizes Vildhjarta ’s knack for riffs that take several measures to repeat. Speaking of older songs, the instrumental “Måsstadens Nationalsång” shares its name with the eighth track on Måsstaden -but it’s almost five minutes longer. In fact, the album’s first single “Den Helige Anden” (originally released in 2019), could merit comparisons to 2000s Katatonia albums with its melancholic modulations before the poly-rhythmic beatdowns take over.

The songs move from disjointed rhythmic tapestries to rousing melodies and haunting clean guitar drones with such fluidity that the abject pandemonium morphs into an enveloping tapestry of constantly-evolving aggression. This also results from Vildhjarta rejecting traditional song structure. The album’s ambient take on progressive heaviness blends tracks together to the point where the single trifecta of “När De Du Älskar Kommer Tillbaka Från De Döda,” “Kaos 2” and “Toxin” passes by like a continuous song. Essentially, this is like Ion Dissonance, but you can vibe to it.

“Lavender Haze” gets down to business right away with a barrage of staccato chugs, but quickly fills in the gaps with a chilling soundscape. Suffice to say these guys prioritize atmosphere as well as odd time signatures and extended range guitars. In contrast to Humanity’s Last Breath calling their music “Evil,” “Thall” can mean whatever listeners want it to. Vildhjarta coined the term “Thall” to describe their music.

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