Den svarte tid

Selvhat

A solid contender for best DSBM album of all time.

My Thoughts

Selvhat (Norwegian for “self hate”) is, for me, a real watershed band. The solo project of Steingrim Torson of Celestial Bloodshed (among many other bands) will probably go down as one of the most prolific and creative musicians in black metal history. Quite an accomplishment given that he was killed in 2009, aged just 25.

The inner struggle to approach, to wrestle with, the blunt meaninglessness of existence - that is the subject of the album. staying productive, creating something, even in the face of cosmic indifference, that is really the core of DSBM, and maybe of all creation that can be truly called art.

Den svarte tid does this so well. The slow tempo, the mostly instrumental compositions, the hypnotic drone-like riffs, and the really raspy organic guitar tone - they combine so well to really pull you into a really grim place. This is TRVE KVLT black melt in its rawest and most primitive form. Much of the album (3 of the 4 tracks, so half of the length) end up on 2008’s Gjennom moerket famlende - the only full-length release from Selvhat, but in such a different, more polished form, that is almost impossible to consider them the same songs. The mix on the demo versions is vastly superior in my opinion; favoring the drums and bass over the vocals and guitar.

For Fans Of

• the band that shall not be named
• Strid
• Forgotten Woods

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