An opening passage of eery mantra-style choir- vocals is ripped apart by sudden feedback wailing for a split second, before a grainy chug-riff takes over… but not that type of metal chug, a different type of chug that sounds more abrasive, more noisy, more angry… a lead guitar kicks in with haunting high notes and inaugurates the surprisingly catchy chorus, and the yelled double vocal approach brings to mind the spirit of bands like Tragedy or Old Man Gloom… the track culminates in an incredibly heavy closing section, based around a riff that repeats endlessly as the tempo is gradually slowed down beyond pain tolerance, and the track suffocates in feedback… but wait, that was already 2 tracks.
There are elements of hardcore, punk, crust, noise rock, heavy post rock and indie rock in BLESSINGS‘ sound… there are moments that remind of AT THE DRIVE IN and moments that remind of CONVERGE, sometimes even in the same track, and the Gothenburg 4-piece merges these very disparate ends of the spectrum of heavy guitar music into a cohesive, intriguing and idiosyncratic sound.
For fans of: Converge, Tragedy, Young Widows, Trap Them, Breach
“One particular thing that really shaped the sound of “Biskopskniven” was the drums“, comments percussionist and synth player Erik Skytt. „Most tracks were written with a very loop- and groove-based approach, a sort of drum manifesto made by drummer Mattias Rasmusson, which gave the songs a very different foundation to build upon, as compared to most of the debut album. No frills, just machine- like repetition and simplicity.“
The driving force behind BLESSINGS has always been the shared attitude and chemistry between the band members, all coming from a DIY punk/hardcore background, and having paid their dues in hard- touring bands like Anchor, Gust, Disavow, Obstruktion, Nightbloomer, Amalthea, Gamla Pengar, Fä and Swedish indie-legends Chester Copperpot.
Next to SCRAPS OF TAPE and BARRENS, BLESSINGS is yet another band that the prolific and eclectic artist and musician JOHAN G. WINTHER is involved in, his solo album „The Rupturing Sowle“ was released via Pelagic on March 26th.
