+ A short horizontal and vertical line that intersect exactly in the middle: the plus sign (+). A mathematical symbol that is used to indicate an addition or a positive number. You can also find it in international access codes for telephone numbers (Belgium: +32, Netherlands: +31) or in specific age indications (only suitable for 18+). +
+ Vildhjarta must have something to do with it too. The new album + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + (which translates to: ‘where the forest sings under the eternal pine trees’) by the Swedish band starts with an obvious call: + byta ut alla stjärnor på himlen mot plustecken +. If you don’t speak Swedish: ‘replace all the stars in the sky with plus signs’. However, this exhortation to do so has no words and is given form in an instrumental intro. A somewhat eccentric request? Oh well, that suits the band anyway. Right? The thought process behind it can be guessed (for now?). Is it perhaps a special call to search for more balance, for more positivity in life? I can’t give you the answer, but shall we go along with the band’s invitation anyway? +
+ Perhaps the trio itself is also looking for a bit more positivity? It wouldn’t even be that surprising: in early March (2025) it was announced that founder and guitarist Daniel Bergström would no longer be part of Vildhjarta. It might have been coming, considering that he wasn’t very active in the band anymore. On the new album, his contribution is limited to two songs: + spargasso + and + den spanska känslan +. Although his departure means that there are no original members of the 2005 foundation still active in the band, the three that the band currently consists of – singer Vilhelm Bladin, guitarist Calle Thomér and bass guitarist and drummer Buster Odeholm – have been active in Vildhjarta for years. That surely guarantees the typical and characteristic sound of the trio from Hudiksvall will also be guaranteed on this third album? +
+ Where on the debut Måsstaden (2011) the influence of Meshuggah was carved in capital letters and bold in the music of Vildhjarta, those influences were still present on Måsstaden Under Vatten, released ten years later, but the technical, extreme metal sounded – to quote the words of colleague Dypfrys in his review of the album – “more dramatic and more mature … more vivid”. The progression has continued on + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar +. Of course, angular staccato riffs, flowery polyrhythms, complex drum patterns, distorted, humming guitars and raw vocals still determine the appearance of Vildhjarta. Nevertheless, there are – however small – very necessary nuances. For example, in various songs (for example + sargasso +) the riffs come through more consistently and there seems to be more structure in the compositions. Less chaotic. I would almost say: more catchy. None or much less fiddling as you encountered in a song like Vagabond on the previous album. The frivolous playfulness of a song like Måsstadens nationalsång (under vatten) is also absent. Just like on previous material, it is the atmospheric parts and carefully applied quiet moments (+ två vackra svanar +, + ylva + and + röda läppar, söta äpplen + and + viktlös & evig +) that not only provide more dynamics on the album, but also ensure that it all comes across as just that little bit more balanced. +
+ While for some it will be a relief that just that little bit more structure and order improves the listenability, others will miss the frivolity and feel that the band is somewhat abandoning its own aesthetics. Whatever it is for you: + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + is not an album that is easy to understand. In fact: the album only seems to come into its own if you take your time with it and really immerse yourself in the tangle of polyrhythms. If you don’t do that, there is a risk the tracks will come at you as loose fragments instead of cogent, well-developed compositions. The playing time of almost an hour means this album is twenty minutes shorter than its predecessor, but it is and remains quite a long ride. You have come to the wrong place for easy-to-digest music. This album asks – no: demands! – of you to take your time, let the waves of pure expression wash over you and absorb them bit by bit. +
Score:
80/100
Label:
Century Media Records, 2025
Tracklisting:
- + byta ut alla stjärnor på himlen mot plustecken +
- + två vackra svanar +
- + sargasso +
- + ylva +
- + där mossan möter havet +
- + röda läppar, söta äpplen +
- + kristallfågel +
- + ? regnet, the ? +
- + hösten som togs ifrån mig +
- + viktlös & evig +
- + stjärnblödning +
- + den spanska känslan +
Line-up:
- Vilhelm Bladin – Vocals
- Calle Thomér – Guitar
- Buster Odeholm – Drums, bass guitar
Links: