Svalbard release video for ‘To Wilt Beneath The Weight’

GRIT YOUR TEETH WHEN THEY’VE JUST BEEN BROKEN

Svalbard are proud to release a video for their track ‘To Wilt Beneath The Weight’, taken from their breathtaking latest studio album The Weight Of The Mask. The track is a combative clincher to the record, acknowledging the dark reality of personal demons and the fight against them. The video beautifully captures Svalbard‘s highly-charged performance of the track at Cult Of Luna‘s Beyond The Redshift festival in London last year.

To celebrate the release of The Weight Of The Mask, Svalbard recently announced a UK and European tour for March, with Norwegian psychedelic proggers Enslaved and American metal band Wayfarer. 

Svalbard‘s Serena Cherry commented,

“We filmed this live video at The O2 Forum in London, which is the very same place that I saw one of my first ever metal shows! (It was Mudvayne!) The feeling of walking out onto that stage where I have seen so many inspiring metal musicians play was surreal. Truly one of those ‘pinch me’ moments. To have this wonderful memory of performing at Beyond the Redshift is very special to me, it was one of those awesome festivals where you get to watch and meet so many fantastic artists. 

To Wilt Beneath The Weight is about the pressures and sacrifices you make as a touring musician. The lyrics explore the strain it can put on relationships and the challenging times that come with being away so often. This song features my favourite Svalbard lyric, which is “grit your teeth when they’ve just been broken.” Which represents the determination against all odds to keep persevering with your passions.

It also features the lyric I find the most painful, which is: “completely at the mercy of every form of insincerity.” Every time I scream that line on stage I choke up because it feels so raw and real.”

ENSLAVED – UK + EUROPEAN TOUR 2024
w/ Svalbard + Wayfarer
06/03 – UK  London, Islington Assembly Hall 
07/03 – UK  Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
08/03 – UK  Manchester, Club Academy
09/03 – UK  Glasgow, Slay 
10/03 – IE   Dublin, Opium 
12/03 – NL  Helmond, Cacaofabriek 
13/03 – FR  Paris, La Machine 
14/03 – CH  Geneva, PTR/l’Usine 
15/03 – FR  Montpellier, Victoire 2
16/03 – IT   Milan, Legend 
18/03 – CZ  Prague, Futurum
19/03 – AT  Vienna, Szene 
21/03 – DE  Cologne, Club Volta 
22/03 – DE  Leipzig, Taubchenthal 
23/03 – DE  Berlin, Hole44
24/03 – PL  Warsaw, Proxima

The Weight Of The Mask is Svalbard‘smost devastatingly raw and beautiful work to-date, overflowing with mesmerising performances from Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan, Mark Lilley and Matt Francis, transcending boundaries across shoegaze, post-hardcore, black metal and more. Uncompromising and highly charged, the record spans themes intrinsic to humanity, such as emotional strength and depression, to unrequited love and vulnerability.

The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.

Svalbard‘s intention with their music is to make people feel less alone, and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatise these topics. 

The Weight Of The Mask – tracklist:
01. Faking It
02. Eternal Spirits
03. Defiance
04. November
05. Lights Out
06. How To Swim Down
07. Be My Tomb
08. Pillar In The Sand
09. To Wilt Beneath The Weight

Order The Weight Of The Mask HERE
Listen to The Weight Of The Mask in full on YouTube HERE

Formed in Bristol UK, Svalbard have released four studio albums, three EPs and several split releases. Whilst refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock and d-beat, Svalbard have incorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, it showcases a sensitive dynamic that lends impact to their most crushing moments – of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s no poetry, no ambiguity – just direct, raw honesty as the quartet tackle some very uncomfortable subjects head on. This is heavy in the most evocative sense of the word. The blunt lyrics are equally as important as the music.

Svalbard are:
Vocals/Guitar – Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar – Liam Phelan
Drums – Mark Lilley
Bass – Matt Francis