Svarta Havet – Månen ska lysa din väg | Album Review

A blistering, emotionally rich blend of post-hardcore and blackened crust, Månen Ska Lysa Dig Väg rewards patience with depth, fury, and moments of striking, unexpected beauty.

The Black Sea, famous for its depth and layers—Svarta Havet, Swedish for Black Sea—emulate this exceptionally. Where they differ from their namesake is in how their layers mix together, and they do it so well. On the surface, listeners are presented with a great example of modern post-hardcore in Månen Ska Lysa Dig Väg: breakneck speed and aggression meld with a spiritual softness, building tension until release. Dig deeper, though, and what the Finns have produced with their second full-length effort is something much greater than the sum of its parts. In its depths lies a tumultuous sea of emotion and sound, where patience and introspection are met with profound reward.

The Finnish ensemble, hailing from Turku, craft a sonic journey that intertwines the ferocity of post-hardcore with the bleakness of blackened crust, creating an album that resonates with both aggression and spiritual softness. The opening track, ‘Göm Dig’, sets the tone with a haunting introduction that envelops the listener in a haze of bittersweet ecstasy, only to be pierced by scorching screams and a poignant piano outro. As the album unfolds, tracks like ‘Djur’ and ‘Avgrunden’ delve deeper into themes of ecological despair and human-induced suffering, with ‘Djur’ presenting doomy undertones and atmospheric layers that evoke a sense of urgency and desperation.

At the forefront of this sonic maelstrom are the vocals—a black metal shriek that doesn’t simply scream at the listener, but with them, flowing, rising, and dipping with the emotional camber of the record. It’s not performance for its own sake; it’s a vessel for anguish, defiance, and fleeting hope, each cry tethered to the storm beneath. Beneath that storm, the drums execute a near-mechanised assault, relentless and precise, building the foundations with militant intensity before tearing them down in utter chaos—only to reconstruct them again, more fractured, more human. This push and pull, destruction and rebirth, is the pulse of the album, and it never ceases.

This is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a journey through the complexities of human emotion and societal critique. The band’s commitment to addressing issues such as Western colonialism, capitalist greed, and environmental degradation is woven into the very fabric of their music, offering a rallying cry for change while never losing sight of the light that this world has to offer. It’s this light—an almost hopeful prayer that we can, and we will, be better—which makes this record so endearing and encourages repeat listens. In this album, Svarta Havet invite listeners to navigate the turbulent waters of their soundscape, where each layer reveals new depths and insights. It’s a testament to the power of music as a vessel for both personal and collective reflection, urging us to acknowledge and confront the darkness while seeking a guiding light.