I’ve been looking forward to wrapping my ears around Svalbard’s new material after catching snippets of what was to come when I caught them live supporting Russian Circles and Cult Of Luna over in Berlin earlier in 2023. And landing that European tour signified a fine start to a year which has also seen the Bristol based band sign for Nuclear Blast Records, with The Weight Of The Mask their first album for the prestigious new label and their first collection of new songs since the excellent When I Die, Will I Get Better? which was released on Church Road Records back in 2020. 

So The Weight Of The Mask is a highly anticipated new record from a band who, a decade or so into their career, now also has high expectations from a major new label resting on their shoulders, and the question is … have they delivered? 

Well, the record gets underway with a riff which really personifies the tone of what’s to come on “Faking It”. Heavy yet melodic with sweeping tremolo hooks which give way to a blackened crusty post-Hardcore verse, with Serena Cherry and Liam Phelan trading vocals throughout. The song provides an emotionally strong start while also being catchy as hell; the sign of a band making a statement from the off. 

“Eternal Spirits” continues in a similarly high-octane style where sweeping guitars evolve into a galloping pace, before in the blink of an eye, Serena changes her voice to deliver an ethereal section of clean singing, before letting rip with her contrasting screamed vocals once again. And herein lies the overriding style of the record, as Svalbard contrast a number of songs which retain the all-out ferocity of a band firing on all cylinders (“Be My Tomb” and “To Wilt Beneath The Weight”) with songs which strip back and feature far more clean singing than we have heard from them before.  

And it seems that for album number four, Svalbard have taken a heavy swing in a direction with a substantial influence of blackened shoegaze. From the emotionally delivered “Defiance”, where Serena croons with angelic chords once again, to “November” where an intro of clean singing and melodic leads provide an ethereal post-Rock vibe, before eventually dropping back into a fury of blackened punk once more.  

Similarly, “How To Swim Down” provides a celestial intro which builds in tension with a patter of drums and the subtle introduction of tremolo guitars. But this time when the distortion pedal is hit the singing stays clean, providing somewhat of an aural palate cleanser. And this softer side of Svalbard is highlighted none more so than on “Pillar In The Sand”, which is shoegazey once again with an Ok Computer-era Radiohead feel to the instrumentals, as the song slow burns its way to another almighty passionate and heavy drop.

And Svalbard have made this blend of light with the dark work extremely well for them! Lyrically the band have always explored the real-life struggles of mental health. On The Weight Of The Mask, the connecting theme deals with the emotions of depression and anxiety and the impact that suffering can also have on loved ones and relationships, providing a rollercoaster of an album which is both a lyrical and musically deep, and provides a complex journey for the listener.    

Buy the album here:

https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/album/the-weight-of-the-mask

9 / 10

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