Kvaen - The Formless Fires - LP COLOURED

There have been many great extreme metal bands from Sweden, but only one from Kalix. This remote beauty spot near the Finnish border, on the northernmost shores of the Baltic, is home to Jacob Björnfot, creative mastermind behind Kvaen (named after the folk who populated the area in the Viking era). Kvaen’s third album The Formless Fires is a sumptuous but bitingly intense exploration of beauty and violence, a melodic black metal masterwork radiating an inspirational sense of place. Even more than 2020’s folky, speed metal-infused debut The Funeral Pyre or 2022’s compelling, expansive follow-up The Great Below, the vast pine woods and icy lakes are powerfully evoked in the elemental gloom riffs, chilly melodies and windswept solos running through these eight mighty, meaty songs.

As usual, Jacob has written and performed everything on The Formless Fires (except drums, resoundingly hammered by ex-Amon Amarth skin-punisher Frederik Andersson). However, there is now a stable live line-up ready to take Jacob’s singular vision across the world: “Kristian and Rasmus are really amazing at learning new songs and are easy-going guys,” enthuses Jacob, appraising the bandmates that he’s trusted to help nurture his musical baby. “Per has a name in the Swedish underground and his image fits the band like a glove. Fredrik has tons of knowledge from his past with bands like Amon Amarth and is a killer drummer, so it's easy to say that we're on Damnation’s Highway! Our goal is to be a busy band touring wise. We have some festivals across Europe, and two tours coming up by the end of 2024, and it looks like next year will be very busy as well. Into Certain Death!”