A four track, nearly fifty minute opus is quite a grand statement to make following a five year hiatus, but that is exactly what Denmark’s Sunken have done with their newest release Lykke. Sunken play the kind of atmospheric black metal that I enjoy a lot, with long, sweeping compositions, saccharine melodies and a whole lot of emotional depth, without sacrificing any of the intensity inherent in the “black metal” part of “atmospheric black metal”. It has been five years since Livslede, though. Has too much changed for them to keep up?
Of course not. Sunken are firing on all cylinders on Lykke, and the time in between releases seems to only have honed the edge they cut with. Lykke, as described by the band, is an exercise in contrasts and dynamics, the way all good atmospheric black metal should be. It’s an album that seamlessly blends raging, poignant black metal, replete with howling, tortured vocals, tremolo guitars and blast beats, with orchestral and choral arrangements, clean passages, synths and quiet, meditative moments of reflection. This kind of keen songwriting has always been something Sunken have done well, but the compositions themselves are a real strength of Lykke, and see Sunken at the absolute top of their game. Lykke is an album that is composed through and through for maximum immersion and maximum emotional impact. “Resonant” is the word I would use to describe this album, and while it may be four long compositions ranging from ten to fourteen minutes, it never has any trouble keeping my attention because of how much interesting interplay there is between parts and pieces and the way Sunken play with dynamics.
Closer “Når Livet Går På Hæld” showcases perfectly the kind of thought and care that Sunken put into their work on Lykke. The opening section lumbers along with plodding drums and spacey, soaring guitars under the retched howl of vocalist Martin Skyum Thomasen, before building slowly, carefully into an emotional cacophony and settling back down into a lengthy orchestral and piano fade-out. This music is deeply melodic and atmospheric, and there is good flow to the songs and the interplay with all their parts. Sunken know how to let things take their time to grow and coalesce, and each of the four tracks on Lykke are masterworks in the use of patience and space in songwriting. The use of strings, synths and orchestration is an especially nice touch, since it adds the necessary depth that atmospheric black metal craves without making the soundscape feel cluttered.
Sunken are really quite good at writing extended compositions where nothing feels pointless, everything builds on what came before, but that does mean the songs all have a predictable pattern and it might not hold up that well for fifty uninterrupted minutes. For me, it’s not a problem: multiple variations on a pattern I like is still gonna end up with a result that I like, but if you’re looking for true variety over the course of this album, you might be left a little high and dry. Still, Lykke is an impressive release, and while the monumental nature of its tracks might seem overwhelming, there is plenty here to hold your attention and grasp at your heartstrings.
It is hard to believe that it is already getting to the point where we have to prepare for list season, and it’s times like these that there usually is one or two albums that surprise me out of nowhere. Lykke might be just that album, and repeated listens have given me more little moments that I’ve missed on it. Time will tell, but whether it ends up in a list or not, you’d be a fool not to check this release out if you like the kind of grandiose atmospheric black metal I do.
-Ian
Lykke is out now on Eisenwald. For more information on Sunken, visit their Facebook page.