REVIEW: Grift – “Syner” (2015, Nordvis)

Had I run across this album a decade ago, it would now
definitely qualify for an entry in the Geezer’s Chest
series. However, being a quite recent release from this
project from Sweden, it only triggers a rant and some
unfocused rambling about things vaguely associated with
the genre of depressive black metal which this album
poses as.

My interest in numerous strains of black metal in my
college days was, among other things, propelled by
firsthand experience of rather crappy Midwestern winters.
In a typical one, there was not enough snow to get
indulged in outdoor activities but enough to cause nuisance
on roads, and it was a bit too cold to enjoy overall.
Occasionally, the sight would briefly turn epic at sunset
and dusk when a large field near a park was covered in
white studded with sparse dark figures and framed with
seemingly disordered mass of one and two story buildings
for rent. I took a strange pleasure in cold emptiness and
desolation of the scene, but it was missing a soundtrack,
something that would make the sensory experience complete.
Having ploughed through many BM releases, I realized that
it was the sense of detachment and the abstract nature
of music that would provide the key ingredient. Influences
of Scandinavian folk would work to a certain extent, as
its sounds can be quite abstract to an outsider’s ear. The
problem, however, with the majority of folk metal bands,
is that they put too much stress on the iconic folk structure
often dragging the music from the introvert void to a
renaissance fair.

For the role, Grift’s “Syner” might seem an unlikely pick.
Its significant part hardly qualifies as black metal in a
traditional sense. While most of the elements are definitely
here, from composition structure to occasional blast beats,
there is probably an equal amount of post-rock influences.
The two closest references that come to my mind is early,
pre-“Swan Road” Drudkh, and “Journey’s End”-era Primordial,
although Grift is not even as aggressive as Drudkh, and
somewhat lacks heroics of Primordial. Their approach is
more rooted in basic rock paradigm, whose texture is used
as a backdrop for black metal excursions making them stand
out more effectively. Not least, the singing of Erik Gardefors,
resonating howling rasp with a subtle sense of melody,
hovering against the serene, almost psychedelic sonic backdrop,
rather than being buried in it, evokes that sense of detachment
that is rather rare in the today’s scene.

Although the scene definitions place Grift into “depressive
black metal” category, the term “atmospheric” would be the
most appropriate and illustrative, as “Syner” doesn’t put
forward any explicit set of emotions but rather builds a sonic
structure for listener to reflect upon. This perhaps is
how Burzum’s Gebrechlichkeit would have sounded if its
aesthetics was somehow transplanted into post-rock, neo-
psychedelic, or even space- rock soil and was given a chance
to develop into full-fledged songs.

You can form your own opinion about this album here