Album Review: Kvaen - The Formless Fires (2024, Metal Blade Records)

Written: 18th June 2024

Hailing from Kalix, a remote beauty spot in Sweden close to the Finnish border, Kvaen (named after the folk who populated the area in Viking era) is the brainchild and one-man black metal project of Jacob Björnfot. Playing every instrument on the album (with the exception of drums  - which are performed superbly by former Amon Amarth percussionist Fredrik Andersson – and a couple of guest solo spots), Björnfot will unleash Kvaen’s third album - and the first on Metal Blade Records - The Formless Fires, on 21st June.

While the biting musical and lyrical content remain, there is something more sumptuous and finessed about the first song – the title track -  and indeed the album as a whole. Lyrically depicting the narrative of an individual who is chosen by ancient, powerful forces to undergo a painful and transformative ritual, The Formless Fires is a statement of intent from the beginning. They pierce me where it hurts the most / The fiery blade stings through my heart / I become one with plagues, guilt and sorrow. Even though it lasts a little over five minutes, The Formless Fires is sweeping, cinematic and epic in nature. Featuring ferocious drum passages, rapid tremolo riffs and vitriolic vocals, all the elements of black metal are here; however, in the centre of the track is an impeccably incorporated, gloriously melodic instrumental section that would not be out of place on a progressive metal album. Second track, Traverse The Nether, continues to play with the balance between traditional black metal tropes in the form of haunting riffs, exacting and unforgiving drumming and changing tempos. Devastatingly alluring twin guitar work further entices the listener, while Necrophobic’s Sebastian Ramstedt contributes a breakneck solo. Within the first two tracks, Kvaen have proved that the album will be far from one dimensional.

Sung entirely in Swedish, Tornets Sång (Song of the Tower in English) – a track that tells the story of ancient forests, wolves and gods - continues the variation with the drumming slower and groove laden in places. Chugging guitar riffs add serious heft to the overall weight of the track and at times, it is reminiscent of the more intense and rhythmically colossal songs from Satyricon’s Now, Diabolical. As the final minute of the track begins, one of the best guitar solos on the album is set free and the band’s melodic sensibilities take centre stage once more. Along with the different areas of metal that Björnfot visits instrumentally, he is also keen to show his ability to contrast his vocal delivery. During certain points in the song, his growling vocals are accompanied by clean vocal backing, which simply serves to make the track sound even more dynamic. Från norrskenets rike till södraste stad / Skall trumman eka i berg och dal / Från varje torn spelas våran fanfar / Och gudar möts vid ett sista slag (From the kingdom of the northern lights to the southernmost city / Shall the drum echo in mountain and valley / From every tower our fanfare is played / And gods meet at a final battle).

Environment has a major influence on Jacob and he makes no secret of his love for his home. “Because of our surroundings, bizarre weather conditions, northern lights etc. help shape the way we see and hear things. It affects us more than we think,” Jacob ponders. “I think it's way better to be raised here. I never liked big cities, except for weekend visits. I don't like the big city attitude; here we are all calm and down to earth. I am in my thirties and most people have either left or returned. I still go to my cabin in the woods of Torne Valley and write a lot of music, especially during the winter, which can feel very long and sometimes harsh.”

As if to prove his point, The Ancient Gods begins with the sound of rain, distant thunder and gently strummed acoustic guitar before the relative quiet is shattered by crunching riffs, a foreboding atmosphere and belligerent, rasping vocals. With a chorus that is not only exuberant and captivating but also potent, it is a clear example of the mindfulness in songwriting that Jacob has focused on since 2022’s The Great Below. “We have toured so much these past two years, and I have written so much music during that time as well, I think most of my practice time went to writing good songs - which is way more important than practicing scales and arpeggios.” Basilisk further evidences his love of mythology. “They are the king of serpents but are rarely mentioned by the mainstream.” Revisiting the rapid-fire speed of earlier tracks, it steps up the dark vibrancy of the album once again, the central instrumental break both raw and passionate while being exquisitely but darkly melodic.

No song on the album exceeds much more than five and a half minutes but Kvaen display a deep understanding of patience and song structure throughout the album, with the eighty second introduction of De Dödas Sång (Song of the Dead), a wonderful illustration of this. Building steadily and adding layers, it erupts as Björnfot begins his tale of Ättestupa, a number of precipices in Sweden which are the supposed sites of an ancient Norse suicide ritual, whereby elderly villagers jumped to their deaths – most recently depicted in the film Midsommar. As befits the graphically intense subject matter, the track contains the most truly vicious vocals on The Formless Fires. The final two tracks - The Perpetual Darkness and The Wings of Death, the latter of which features a solo from Dark Funeral’s Chaq Mol - end the album, maintaining the twisted but stirringly anthemic melodic auras that inhabit so much of The Formless Fires. Both tracks draw on influences outside that of black metal with The Wings of Death, in particular, touching on moments of heavy metal.

The Formless Fires is an album that captures Kvaen mid-evolution. They also now have a stable live line-up so it will be interesting to see how the band portray Jacob's vision in that arena. The album may not fully appeal to fans seeking a “true black metal” experience; it is not as caustic as the albums that have preceded it. However, for those interested in or willing to embrace the glorious atmospheres, the progressive and pagan metal influences, the impressive melodic elements and the rich – but not overly slick - production values, it is one of the most rewarding metal albums of the year. Deeply compelling…