We live in a constant state of uncertainty, and even as some things in life have evened out, there’s so much more tumult out there politically and in our constantly dividing society that it’s hard to know where to go next. It makes it a struggle to have enthusiasm for the future because a lot of our problems are so far from being solved or even manageable.
Vancouver black/death metal crushers Svneatr see the same issues we do, and they’re equally as impacted, and on their third record “Never Return,” they express as much over these thunderous six tracks spread over a volcanic 40 minutes. The band—vocalist/guitarist Vitharr Monteith, guitarist James Readman, bassist Shawn Hillman, drummer Matthew Logan—established their fire over the first two records, but on this new effort, they expand their sound just enough to add more colors but not betray their sound. They remain a thought-provoking wrecking machine, but the added elements give them more weapons at their disposal.
“Mechanical Wolves” opens with warm leads, making it seem serenity might dawn, but then the shrieks wreck shop, trudging and pummeling as the heat increases. Leads burn as the tempo boils inside your skull, the intensity spiking as a melodic gust spins before blasting out. “Never Return” starts with cold guitars sending chills before the pace unloads, the growls carving into bone. Menace explodes as speed and melody unite, the shrieks gutting, the guitars turning to a churning force. Leads flood and blind with multiple colors, ripping hearts from chests. “…And When Comes the Storm” starts with acoustics, electrics looping between them, clean-sung lines adding a different texture. The playing feels spacious and foggy, the singing numbing before Monteith goes back to shrieks, gutting with dramatic gusts. The aura goes cosmic and frigid, floating through detached terrain, acoustics and clean guitars collecting and bowing out to the universe.
“Omen” brings thick bass and a tradeoff between growls and icy singing, guitars slurring among the chaos. The tempo absolutely mauls before everything liquifies, bringing dizzying waves that numb your brain, entering into a new section of crunch. Leads wail as the shrieks whip with force, battering and bringing everything to an abrupt end. “Blackout” is dreary and doomy before the center combusts, storming blackness taking down everything in its path. Guitars flood as the blackness thickens, the playing becoming even more savage, trying to remove guts from mid-sections as keys glimmer, adding an alien force to violence unimagined. Closer “Reaper of the Universe” is dark and foreboding before exploding in fire, the shrieks raining down, ripping at flesh and pounding away. The playing ramps up as the guitars scramble, sinking into an unexpectedly jazzy section, an atmospheric gust pushing through, the singing echoing in your ears. A savage attack then jerks muscles, a melodic burst flooding, mystical sounds hovering before disappearing.
On “Never Return,” Svneatr perfectly encapsulate the fear of uncertainly we have faced the past few years, and it’s not like the present and future feel any less volatile. The band’s blend of black and death metal has expanded pretty greatly, and this devastating document not only shows their savagery has expanded but so has their willingness to push beyond any boundaries. This is a new Svneatr, one that has survived chaos and some of the most challenging times we’re all known, and their meddle successfully has been tested like never before.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/svneatr
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://shop.prostheticrecords.com/
Or here (International): https://prostheticrecords.8merch.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://prostheticrecords.com/
Meat Mead Metal 