Svartsyn – The True Legend (2012)

Originally released back in 1998, today we have the re-release (and partial re-recording) of Svartsyn’s cult debut full-length “The True Legend”. Constantly criticized back in 98 because of the ‘bad’ production, this release now sounds like any other well-crafted crushing Black Metal release. Standing the test of time (only 13 or so years), “The True Legend” is a very powerful release that could pass for something a band would crank out these days.

Deliver the first blow, “Tearing Your Soul” has that typical BM guitar distortion that older BM releases used, but the melodic aspect of the music makes it very appealing. The drums are very clean and brutal, giving this song a very powerful sound. The tremolo-picking is not overly exploited, making the song both brutal and crushing without being extremely cliché. “The True Legend” follows a similar approach, but a bit more hectic and fast. This allows the album to start building momentum since the first few tracks and we love it.

In terms of determining what is actually re-recorded, we might say that the drums sound too clean for a BM album of the late 90’s, and also the overall sound is very clean, but since the promo does not make it clear, we can’t really tell. However, in terms of how this release sounds, we have to say that is pretty clear and everything seems in place. In tracks like “Ghoulhaunted Forest”, “Under the Devil’s Moon” and “Cursed Blaze from the Castle” the riffs are very powerful and well mixed with the hectic drumming, making this release very attractive to fans of Swedish Black Metal.

With a hefty dosage of furious guitars and blasting drums (and some creepy keyboards), “Shadows Painting My Eyes” brings this re-release to a close. It is sad that the band’s last release was nowhere nearly as good as this one, but we can only hope for a better release in the future. If you like crushing Black Metal with a clean and powerful production, this is the release you should be spending your money on.

Release: March 20th, 2012 (Europe) / April 10th, 2012 (North America)

Country: Sweden