Incorporating various influences ranging from Crust, Post-Metal, to Black Metal, Swedish Atmospheric Black Metal two-piece Black Birch are crafting an ever-gnarly, meticulously composed debut full-length after having previously released a sold-out EP. 

Released via three different labels (Trust No One Recordings, Fiadh Productions, and Blastbeat Vinyl), this self-titled debut encompasses a dark and haunting tapestry of atmospheric harmonies converged with belligerent heavy midsections. It consists of 12 enchanting tracks and features a cover artwork with macabre-like aesthetics that was created by the vocalist/guitarist/bassist Gina Wiklund herself with utmost passion and tenacity. 

While of course the classic Black Metal elements are obviously distinctive on this album – combined with atmospheric nuances – they also managed to fuse those elements with sub genres that are more inclined towards the “contemporary” alignment, such as the noticeable Post-Metal elements here. 

To me, it’s as if they’re combining Blut Aus Nord with Ghost Bath – the immense mayhem and cacophony just pierce right through the listeners’ psyche. Starting from their home studio in rural Sweden where the creative process of their releases happened, they began receiving international recognition, including features in multiple media platforms such as Metal Hammer UK and Decibel, as well as regular airplay on BBC 1 and Australia’s Triple J – fair to say that they have started some kind of life-changing revolution from their small hometown in southern Sweden. 

What especially caught my attention regarding this album is that this album creates some sort of balance between clean passages and blast-laden/tremolo-picked ones. Their sonic ambiences are also impeccably versatile and eclectic that you can’t just point out immediately whether this is a release that aligns to the second wave Black Metal-inspired spectrum or a Post-Metal one; making it a specific distinct breed of Atmospheric Black Metal with a myriad of heterogeneous influences shaping these tracks into an inherently powerful entity on its own – ungovernable and unclassifiable at its finest. 

On this release, Black Birch envisages voices of despair and dismal vulnerability in a manner that would instantly make their listeners resonate with the emotional intensity that they present; in a form of over 66-minute distortion-laden buzzing resonances accompanied by ever-passionate howling vocals.

Buy the album here:
https://blackbirch.bandcamp.com/album/black-birch-2

9 / 10
RALKA SKJERSETH