The Rifts is the third release from this Swedish post-rock duo.
A select few lent a hand with the drums, bass, pipe organ and vibraphone, and the album was mixed and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna, Refused) but otherwise this was performed, written and produced by Erik Nilsson (AORIA) and Jakob Berglund.
The result is mixed. On one hand, it’s an atmospheric, impassioned, dark album that serves as a release for feelings that could not be portrayed as acutely by any other means. On the other, it gets off to a slow start and there are some weak, self-indulgent tracks to be found. The marching tempo and sci-fi undertones of the title track is alluring, though, and powerful soundscapes Infants and These Depths Were Always Meant For Both Of Us grow genuinely hypnotic. Meanwhile, the poised, restrained vocals are not immediately impressive but they’re soothing, sparingly used and well suited to the overall mood. Chilling but sensitive, intense but vulnerable, bleak but somehow reassuring, this is a powerful and emotionally intelligent delivery from a band that still, intriguingly, shy away from live performances.
Via Version Studio