Many things await the listener on this grandiose album, and spectacular synth work greets you on the opening intro ‘I’. Despite the beautiful and ambient touches of the keyboards, the calming atmosphere creates the mesmeric and charming themes of nature. One noticeable aspect of this debut is that the songwriting was improvised by Sortilege in a single night in winter 2022. The debut was mastered at Clintworks Audio in summer 2023.

The unique style of the duo stems from the 90s heritage of symphonic black metal. The drumming in the following song ‘II’ is played between furious blast beats and mid-tempo moments, and the synth is pushed to the forefront. While the style and the melodic orientation differ from Greve’s sophomore ‘Föllo af svavel, lifvets dimridå’, the harsh vocals of Sortilege are in the vein of Bekëth Nexëhmü.

The eleventh-minute track ‘III’ exudes dreamy keyboards and graceful guitar melodies gliding over the blasting percussion. The slow passages are epic and fit with the black metal screeches and drums blasting through lush keyboards and blazing rhythms. The drums are galloping, even the production is thick; the back metal riffing is effective, adding raw and majestic dark synth elements.

The duo have released one of the best black metal albums and coincides with Alex Poole’s new side project band Kveldstimer. Despite the similarities, the atmospheric and symphonic influences would charm anyone who is into early Norwegian and Swedish black metal bands.

Each element from the guitar melodies and synth sounds is so hypnotic and captivating: especially on ‘IV’, guitarist Sortilege crafts ghastly melodies and pairs them with symphonic synth layers. Gygath evokes a sense of ancient black metal, evoking atmospheric experience. This eight-minute track offers compositions that are balanced with furious drum beats and blazing rhythms.

The guitar tone sets a cold tone, while the drum beats range from slow to fast passages. There is enough emphasis on creating atmosphere, which is what Swartadauþuz is best known for, encapsulating all these elements to enhance the mood and dark emotions. One can only gaze at the haunting cover of a majestic, bright moon hanging above the towering pine trees, a hint of the many charms that await the listener.

‘Ablaze above the Forest’ is a magnificent and one of my favorite musical oeuvres of Swartadauþuz, which resulted in some of the darkest studio albums that evoke gloomy moments and vast forest landscapes. ‘V’, which features freezing guitar riffs followed by fast-paced blast beats and agonizing screams before the echoing synth sounds collide into slower paces, thanks to the unique musical level of Swartadauþuz and Sortilege.

The excellent songwriting permeating this debut album clocks at forty-two minutes where its shimmering synth lines dances off the frosty cold riffs. This is one of the best facets of the musical works of the duo executed in a wonderfully and melodic way. The melancholic mood that fades in and out on the album’s outro ‘VI’ presents an ambient feel that wraps this album with a gloomy mood.

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