Normally an Arckanum release would be met with a bit of a fanfare but this, his 9th studio album seems to have slipped in with a somewhat muted fashion. Not only that but the press release here states that “the Swede is back for one last time!” So that’s it then, decades of highly respected material and the end is somewhat casually mentioned with no explanation given. I guess we have become somewhat used to the way that Shamaatae works though as far as his music is concerned. Atypically reclusive and no doubt misanthropic, engagement and information has never been particularly forthcoming. I remember previous label Season Of Mist being more than a little apologetic at him disappearing completely between releases and not answering some pretty in-depth interview questions I had put to him and the fact that he has not been very keen at utilising Social Media, his Facebook disappearing some time ago after his wife had attempted to keep it going. It’s probably for that reason that sees him dip in and out of different labels during his career and kind of downgrade things in that respect with this final release. Is he going out with a whimper or a scream?

Well a bit of both is basically the answer here. Obviously he is going it alone as ever but has a little bit of help along the way here from the likes of Set Teitan with guitar solo and chorus, Darby Lahger (the aforementioned Mrs S) on birch trumpet Naverlur and a few others here and there. Subject wise we are within the realms of Norse legends, the album title translating to The Firstborn and devoted to “first son of Loki and Angrboða, Jörmungandr, the Giant Thursian serpent whose enormous power encircles the worlds.” Beware here be dragons indeed!

Musically the title track clearly drenches us in the richness of the mythic world we have become accustomed to from this imaginative artist. Grim and gloomy guitar lines ooze out along with demonic spoken words straight from a frozen forest inhabited by ghouls. Well that’s how it feels, naturally everything uttered is in native tongue so I am left with just my imagination to play on. I have not seen The Ritual yet but having read the book by Adam Nevill, this would be the perfect soundtrack. It thunders away as it bites in, the evil trollish vocals snarling as the drums batter; atmosphere completely ghastly. Apparently this was originally meant to be an EP and that does kind of show as things progress. There are long sections with just grating slow guitar lines in them, sure they are mesmerising and atmospheric but they could be looked at as padding things out. Case in point is ‘Ginnmors Drott’ although it does have a lush background violin accompaniment courtesy of Ljuder Stefan Westberg. It’s a case of enriching yourself in these sections and finding the actual songs themselves, a bit like finding the wood among the trees.

It’s a slightly frustrating listen when one thinks back to the glory days of Fran Marder and Kampen as well as stunning latter works such as ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ but it is certainly not an album to be considered a misfire or anything such as Sviga læ in my opinion. When the pace is driven and whipped headlong through the trees this is a glorious ride, full of energy and passion and the mix is thick and cloying to go with it, the guitar and bass sound really giving you a good shaking. But and there has to be a but here, one can’t help thinking that for a first album in 4 years and what effectively is a swansong it’s a bittersweet ending to a sterling musical career. Still musicians are fickle beasts and nothing is guaranteed and whilst life remains who can truly say that this is indeed the final curtain for Arckanum.

(7.5/10 Pete Woods)

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