Loviatar – Loviatar


Four songs. That’s right. Just. Four. Songs. But it’s enough to really get the blood pumping. Loviatar, the name in and of itself, is a Scandinavian Death Goddess. You see where I’m going with this. (I saw with a wicked smile on my face.) The album Loviatar (Prosthetic) is a mystical magical trip through the hinterlands. Take the name of the songs, ‘Stygian Wyrm’ (parts 1,2, and 3). Stygian relates to the river Styx. In literary terms it means very dark. A wyrm is a large sea serpent with wings.

So in very strict terms, Loviatar’s album is a very dark tome that evokes large winged serpents. This Canadian band totally delivers! The first track on the album immediately transports you to a dark frothy wilderness complete with primitive drums, ghostly vocals, and seraphic guitars. It made me feel like I was an ancient Celt aboard a longboat, furs about my shoulders, sword at my side, wind in my face, and a direwolf at my side.

‘Nasent (Stygian Wyrm Part I)’ effortless blends into ‘Discordant (Stygian Wyrm Part II)’. You don’t even notice it’s a new song; that’s how seamless it flows. I think I just sacked a village. The guitars are wild, in the sense that it evokes murderous action. It truly makes you feel bloodthirsty! I need to use this song in my next LARPing campaign!

‘Stygian Wyrm Part III’ or ‘Ascendant’ is a super heavy oppressive lamentation. This is doom metal, black metal, gothic metal, folk metal, progressive metal in all its glory. This song, ‘Ascendant’ is just gobsmackingly well put together! I spent a lot of the eight minutes eight seconds going “Holy fuck! Holy fuck! Holy fuck!” You should buy the album just for this song, it’s wickedly worth it.

Sadly, Loviatar’s Loviatar ends, as all good things must do. They say goodbye with a nineteen minute cinematic masterpiece entitled ‘Blind Goddess of the Nine Plagues’. I will end this review with that, and a knowing nod of the head, and I point at you, dear reader, with the knowledge that you will go forth and buy Loviatar and descend to the Stygian depths.

8.0/10

VICTORIA ANDERSON