Skaldr - Saṃsṛ (2025)

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The USA Black Metal scene has seen a resurgence as of late, with bands that have both technical and songwriting skills to create their own signature style with some hints of what has worked from their European counterparts. Skaldr is ready for primetime with their guitar driven, BM with similarities to Dissection, Uada, and the likes. With “Saṃsṛ”, the band delivers over 40 minutes of high-octane music filled with memorable moments, balancing aggression and melody, definitely a great place to be for a sophomore release.

Blasting away with the highly melodic opener “The Sum of All Loss”, we get that frosty Euro BM vibe from the get go, as the band unleashes waves of crafty riffing and alongside a lively snarl by C.V. Besides the heavy emphasis on dramatic melodic passages, the band also throws in some lush atmospherics on songs like “Storms Collide”. Their fierce approach to tracks like “From Depth to Dark”, and “Parasite” gives them a very engaging and explosive edge over other similar outfits.

After changing the pace a bit with the instrumental, “Liminal”, our favorite “The Crossing” rears its head with more blistering riffing, pretty tight drumming alongside crafty tempo changes. The band’s sound is quite dynamic, and while it might seem familiar in some spots, they always switch things up to inject their own imprint. Closing with the dramatic “The Cinder, The Flame, The Sun” and its twin guitars, the band leaves a very high bar for any future releases thanks to its whirlwind style and skilled songwriting skills. Be on the lookout for these guys in the future.

Band: Skaldr Album: Saṃsṛ

Label: Avantgarde Music

Release: January 31st, 2025

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Genre: Melodic Black Metal

Country: USA

Rating: 94/100
Year: 

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