By Bona Pjarren
‘Sticka En Kniv I Världen’ is the second album from Swedish avant-garde auteur Shaam Larein. The promotional material summarizes the singer’s approach to music by declaring that “weird and wonderful doesn’t quite cover it – the experimental musical elements and alien-like vocals will guarantee to transport you to a world not of our own, unleashing a heady brew of nocturnal post-punk and avant-garde metal. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype…
The opening, title track, ‘Sticka En Kniv I Världen’, which translates as ‘Stick A Knife In The World’ is a heady mix of post rock with goth and doom elements. Strong riffs and vocal harmonies with a twist make for quite a memorable opening song. ‘Flesh Of Gold’ is an interesting track with a good bass line and tribal style drumming. The vocals have a really intriguing quality to them and there are some solid guitar riffs. Overall it is a well thought out gritty composition.
‘Beware Of The Duchess’ has a Middle Eastern flavour to it. The vocals again have a haunting quality to them. Shaam Larein have obviously spent some time honing their own unique sound. It is another dramatic soundscape full of strong riffs. ‘I Have No Face’ is a slow track with power in bucket loads. It has a bit of a gothic feel to it and the vocals are more stripped back.
‘Murderer’ is another slower track with a doom element to it. Strong and dramatic it powers through the gears to build into a crescendo. This is a great track that really takes the listener on a musical journey. ‘Caress My Thoughts’ has a drama about it that is hard to describe. Packed with melodic ideas it moves seamlessly though its construction. The organ sound gives more presence to an inspiring piece.
‘Leave Me Here To Die’ introduces itself with some haunting ambience and avant-garde vocals. It is a truly mesmerizing piece and quite different in its approach to other songs on the album while retaining Shaam Larein’s unique sound. ‘Massacre’ is the last song on this spectacularly different work. It is nicely uptempo with lots of drama and moves between ideas with consummate silky ease. They really do put a lot into the way they craft their songs.
Shaam Larein really does live up to her hype. She has a unique style that really makes her stand out. All the tracks are well thought out and beautifully crafted. I was very impressed with the album as a whole and can honestly say that it is hard to categorize her. Shaam Larein is a unique singer with her own memorable sound and well worth giving a listen to.
- ‘Sticka En Kniv I Världen’ is released today (Friday 9 December). You can get your copy HERE.
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