Introduce Yourselves: SVART HAV

Introduce Yourselves

Drums - Rasmus Henriksen
Bass – Campbell Waldron
Vocals - Bjarte Hein
Rhythm Guitar - Einar Bratli
Lead Guitar - Vegard Skjervøy

What is the name of your band?

Svart Hav, meaning either black sea or black ocean in Norwegian, is also a Norwegian fisherman’s expression describing areas of the sea where the fish population has been depleted, or empty fishing waters. We like the double meaning and see our journey as traversing a metaphorical black ocean that we musically have only dipped our toes in as of yet.

What is the genre of music that you play?

We play doom metal in a loose, open sense: we started off building on stoner doom and hard rock/heavy metal but are pushing in directions of sludge and post-this and post-that. We are finding inspiration in both traditional doom and classic hard rock as well as all the numerous off-shoots of doom, current doom acts, and many things not metal.

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

An early version of the band under the name Yig started out in 2014, containing three of the current members (Bjarte, Einar and Vegard), but the band Svart Hav really got together around 2018. Having had some changes in the band along the way, we reached our current lineup this year when we were joined by our American bassist, Campbell.

We started out with the broad idea of doom metal as our stated mission, but flirted with elements outside of said genre. This can be heard in our first self-recorded EP, as well as our second. We don’t feel we have reached our full potential yet, so we have our minds set on recording an interesting full-length album.

What can people expect from your music?

People can expect our music to be grounded in classic hard rock and the well known pillars of doom, but could there be room for something unexpected? We sure hope so.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

We have two self-recorded EP's available digitally on BandCamp (along with most streaming services), and would recommend our last effort, Funeral Fields. People who appreciate that one might enjoy our first one from 2019

Where can people find you on Social Media?

We can be found at:

BandCamp: https://svarthavstavanger.bandcamp.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/svart_hav/ 

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Svarthavstavanger

Svart Hav - Funeral Fields (EP Review)

Release Date: November 21st 2021. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Funeral Fields  - Tracklisting

1.Procession 01:19

2.Ride of the Fedaykin 07:38

3.Frozen Slumber 05:53

4.Matilda 04:14

5.Tore Hund 06:03

Members

Drums - Rasmus Henriksen

Bass - Vegard Skjervøy

Vocals - Bjarte Hein

Rythm Guitar - Einar Bratli

Lead Guitar - Vegard Skjervøy

Review

Funeral FIelds is the second EP from Norwegian Doom/Stoner Metallers Svart Hav which means Black Sea or Black Ocean in English. With this in mind, Svart Hav play nautical inspired Doom Metal and Stoner Metal with a slight Heavy Metal flavour. The EP is quite trippy and psychedelic but not in the ways you would expect.

The EP is a masterful release of restrained moods and grooves with an almost Post-Metal identity but one that is held back by the Heavy Metal strands heard on this EP. Funeral Fields has a Classic Hard Rock and Prog Rock sensibility which sees the band experiment with different Psychedelic sounds and Ambient textures. The Ambient textures do give the impression of WATER being the main theme for this release but all told within the world of Doom/Stoner Metal. 

The music can be quite relaxing and soothing when the quieter moments appear but Svart Hav are still clever enough to bring their heavy and loud progressive grooves to an exciting batch of songs such as: Ride Of The Fedaykin, Frozen Slumber and Tore Hund.

The lyrics are definitely inspired by the Norwegian way of life but with an OTT Heavy Metal outlook that allows Svart Hav to be refreshingly different within the modern day Doom/Stoner Metal scene.

The sound of the EP can be quite low in places but nothing to distract your enjoyment of the EP. From the third song Frozen Slumber onwards, this EP becomes a more daring, bolder and heavier release. There is still a cool “LO-FI” element to this EP which becomes quite bewitching from start to finish. 

Funeral Fields is a truly impressive release from a band who I only became aware of recently and thanks to Mel Lie of SUNDAY’s HEAVY TUNES and DOOM CHARTS fame. Mel knows what she’s talking about so I had to listen and I’m glad I did. So thanks Mel.

Anyway, if you’re in the mood for NAUTICAL based Doom/Stoner Metal with intelligence and thrilling grooves to match then SVART HAV are here for you all.

Excellent and HIghly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp