New Hampshire post-black metal outfit Vattnet Viskar are poised to release a 2015 highlight (and possibly their best work yet!) with their upcoming record Settler. A lot of post-black bands these days tend to be on the flowery side of the spectrum, but what makes Vattnet Viskar such a great act is that they really do feel like a solid meld of black metal and the type of expansive post-metal descended from the strings of Neurosis rather than anything in the vicinity of Alcest or Deafheaven. So in case you’re unfamiliar with the act, don’t judge them by their genre and the peculiar album artwork — which, by the way, was inspired by this photo of Christa McAuliffe, the schoolteacher who was killed in the Challenger explosion in 1986. Kinda changes things, yeah?
The latest taste of Settler comes from our friends at Metal Injection, who have premiered the brand new track, “Colony.” This unveiling provides further evidence that the band are furthering their sound with potential to be riff-heavy, cinematic, and absolutely gorgeous without making any sort of artistic sacrifices. Listen below.
The only issue here lies in the quality of the stream, but having heard an official promo, I can vouch that the band’s partnership with producer Sanford Parker did not go to waste. You’ll see what I mean when Settler drops June 16th via Century Media. Pre-orders in all sorts of formats and bundles are available at this location.
– JR