Analfabetism — Av Hjord Är Du Kommen

To most extreme music fans, the Swedes have become pretty synonymous with death and black metal. Their tell tale tones have influenced many while making a sound that is clearly their own. Growing alongside these movements was the Swedish industrial scene. Much like their metal counterparts, these acts created a sound uniquely theirs, and boldly inspirational. Stemming from legendary labels like Cold Meat Industry, this sound continues today, and is still a large part of the death industrial genre. Analfabetism's newest continues the strong Swedish industrial tradition of cold, grim, rough music.

Low, synthy rumbles and distant, screeching swells of noise open up Av Hjord Är Du Kommen. "Hundår" moves slowly, but steadily, and builds a solid base for which the remainder of the album rests. Keeping this cold slowness going, "Den Vägen Vandra" removes some harshness to add in more atmosphere. Playing like the soundtrack to a nighttime walk on a desolate, snowy plain, subtle throbs dance over stretched out synths like a rapid heartbeat. Analfabetism works well at keeping the fairly undulant synths to the front and fun, flavorful noisy bits to the back. "Illdåd" is a good example of this approach, with its panning vocal sample fairly tucked away and not in your face. Although cold and grim, the synths on "På Dina Bara Knän" feel lighter and brighter. Torturous siren like alarms add and urgency to the grimy drones and keep this one moving and interesting. Veering into different turf, "Träldom" opens with heavily echoed, marimba like bells that act as a summoning ritual for the creepy carpet of lows and oscillating insects that lurk in the distance. This starts a more subterranean vibe that plays out on the remainder of the album. "I Vredens Tid" ups the noise quotient a bit with rhythmic static and crunchy pulses. It's very hypnotic and repetitive, but never manages to feel that way. To close out the album, Analfabetism returns to a more traditional, meaner death industrial. "Under Hjorden" lurks in the darkness and is peppered with distorted, semi-distant vocals. Ramping up and down between noisy periods, the listener is given time to appreciate the calm before the inevitable storm.

Analfabetism's Av Hjord Är Du Kommen is a fun, but pretty standard entry into the Swedish industrial canon. Nothing really jumps out as a standout hit, but nothing strikes me as "turn it off" terrible. I enjoyed my time with it, but don't see myself revisiting it too often in the future.