Svalbard – The Weight of the Mask (Review)

Svalbard are a crust/hardcore band from the UK and this is their fourth album.

This is one I’ve been quite eagerly awaiting. 2018’s It’s Hard to Have Hope was a very enjoyable record, but 2020’s When I Die, Will I Get Better? was the record that really put Svalbard on most people’s radars. Now the band have returned, with the 44-minute wonder that is The Weight of the Mask.

Svalbard’s emotive music is alive and well. The band’s ability to blend crusty hardcore aggression with shoegaze beauty, melodic metallic might, and shades of blackgaze continues to impress. I’d argue that the primary difference between this album and its predecessor, style-wise, is a greater shift towards these blackened elements.

The songs are full of passionate delivery and well-crafted hooks. The music’s mix of hypnotic dream-like melody, crust-powered hostility, and darkly resplendent atmosphere is highly compelling. I love black metal, so the increase in blackened elements is well-received, but it should be noted that this occurs naturally and as part of Svalbard’s existing musical framework; less a transformation, more an enrichment in blackened depth and occasional bursts of blistering fury.

These new songs showcase Svalbard in a very good light, despite the music’s inherent darkness. Svalbard have clearly poured vast amounts of energy, care, and passion into The Weight of the Mask, and every song bleeds emotive depth with every fibre of its being. Whether the band are blasting with blackened venom, assaulting with scathing heaviness, immersing with atmospheric mood, or delivering swathes of melodic colour, Svalbard clearly mean business.

The juxtaposition of dark themes and feelings against bright melodic highlights works extremely well. The music’s range, from soft introspective atmosphere to fierce raging blackened aggression works extremely well. The dual vocal approach of harsh screams and shouts, alongside the occasional episode of beautifully ethereal clean singing works extremely well. The songwriting in general, probably the band’s most refined-yet-expansive so far, works extremely well. Basically, all of The Weight of the Mask works extremely well. It’s a superlative work of emotive texture, one that’s a more than worthy successor to When I Die, Will I Get Better?

So, does The Weight of the Mask provide the best Svalbard experience yet? Hard to say for sure, but I’m certainly leaning that way. Although The Weight of the Mask certainly has its direct appeal, it actually seems to have a more substantial presence, making it less immediate than its predecessor, but potentially allowing for more longevity.

Either way, The Weight of the Mask is a great album that fans of Svalbard should thoroughly enjoy, (and hopefully this will also be true for people that are not yet fans too) .

Essential.