KARV: What The Dunes Have Hidden
Kärv
What the Dunes Have Hidden
(Sneeuwstorm Produkties)
We recently had the split CD with Kärv (Sweden) and Duister Maanlicht (Netherlands),
and how we have a full-length from the Swedish one-man project, featuring sole
member Grisha, who handles all instruments, vocals, lyrics, and even the mixing. For
the unitiated, what we have here is some high-quality black metal that is simultaneously
raw and also atmospheric. This isn’t melodic gothic metal pretending to be black metal,
but rather traditional black metal with some added layers of melodic guitars and the
occasional synths, which are always tastefully done and never cheesy. If you know
black metal at all, you know why I am making this distinction!
It’s no surprise that lyrically there is an emphasis on divine judgement, particularly as it
regards idolatry—a bold stance considering the pagan/neo-pagan and/or satanic roots
of black metal. It’s also no surprise then that Kärv is an anonymous project, considering
taking such a stance in his homeland of Sweden could be detrimental to one’s safety.
Lyrics draw from the Old Testatment on tracks like album opener, “Into the Wilderness”
Lo, what the earth has hidden, under the wailing dunes
Bera and Birsha, cursed lords of cities lost
Come out, come out, ye spawned of silent serpent sun
With filthy hands, ye tormentors of the faithful
In fact, this track had me reaching for my Bible to jog my memory about placenames
like Zoar. “Grave and Sea” continues the theme of judgement on idolatry:
Fallen to worship the end
A gray mass gather before it
Broad and golden the gate
and paved, the road to destruction
Lest things get too grim, track three “In the Earthen Womb” turns the tide towards the
hope of the faithful. That is, the blessed resurrection:
In the depths of the earth lay hidden
In the depths of the earth lay cold
In the depths of the earth lay hidden
The ancient gate of old
The hallowed ossuary, the sin disintegration
The silent whisper, the coming call of resurrection
Following this lyrical turn in the album, songs move on towards the glory of God as
revealed in Revelation and the ultimate triumph of Christ:
Oh heavens ablaze with Thy Glory
Ingrained with Thy might—Empyreal Holiness!
The oceans thou gather like leaves
And the mountains shall herald Thy coming
And the tent of God shall be with men
This is pure black metal worship. I can’t wait to share this with those close-minded
Christian rockers who always seem to draw the line at black metal, when considering
which genres are or are not appropriate through which faithful Christians can express
themselves. With intertwined themes of divine judgement, the end times, and the glory
of Christ, there is a lot to unpack and process here, making this a real ‘thinking person’s
metal.’ Aside from that, this is so well done and well-executed, from the musicianship to
the production values, that Dunes has me going for the repeat button this time around.
4.5 out of 5 stars
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