Bergsvriden — I Haggans Afton Review
Bergsvriden, a Swedish Folk Black Metal conjurers forged in 2013, unveiled their fourth full-length ritual, “I Haggans Afton,” the album marks a new chapter in the band’s mythic descent—where folklore coils with fury and blackened hymns echo through the grim and swampy Swedish forest… …Released via Dusktone and promoted through Cutting Edge Metal PR.
The First Three Sins, The Summary
The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion
The Opening Whisper: Born of Soil and Stone
The sonic journey commences with the opening hymn, I jord och sten. Its arrival is immediate, a spectral whisper that conjures an uncanny atmosphere. Melodies unfurl with a gentle, almost hesitant grace. They creep into the listener’s awareness, slowly yet inexorably weaving a tapestry of burgeoning dread. This deliberate build-up meticulously establishes the foundational tone and mood, a potent omen of the dark rituals that lie ahead.
The hymn itself opens the rite with a profound, earthly gravitas. It feels ancient, born from soil and stone.
Elemental Invocation: Windswept from the North
Following this invocation, the remaining eight hymns unfold with a similar hypnotic power. The music possesses an almost elemental force. It sweeps through the listener’s mind like a savage, frigid wind. Imagine it howling in from the stark, unforgiving shores of Scandinavia. Begsvriden seamlessly blends blackened folk metal with the theatricality of dark folklore. Its inspiration is drawn directly from the grim, sodden depths of the Swedish forests.
This creates a potent fusion. It marries the raw aggression of old-school Black Metal with the chilling terror embedded within Scandinavian folk legends.
Mistbound Hymns: Spectral Transitions and Sonic Identity
As the musical progression continues, unexpected elements emerge. Folkish instrumentation surfaces, offering a stark contrast. These passages break through the relentless frost-bitten assault of the black metal. They interrupt the aggressive, breakneck tempos. Each hymn is a distinct entity. They differ greatly in composition, arrangement, musical score, overall atmosphere, rhythmic pace, and sonic character.
One hymn flows into the next with a spectral inevitability. They connect like strands of malevolent mist. This mist rolls inland from the frigid, unfathomable depths of the unknown. It carries an eerie, palpable presence.
Séance of Sound: Production as Ritual Summoning
I haggans Afton is a fruit of art séance. Its production quality feels less like it was recorded. It feels summoned, wrenched from the very roots of a haunted woodland. It avoids the sterile perfection of a typical studio. The mix itself embraces a raw, DIY aesthetic. This reflects a deliberate, ritualistic approach. The rawness serves as a vital backbone. It’s caustic and wild, yet remarkably clear. The production prioritises an almost supernatural ambience. It chooses spectral atmosphere over any sort of slick polish.
It is a swampy, ghostly experience. Not only that, but it is steeped in the rich, dark tradition of Scandinavian folklore. It leans more towards a forbidden ritual than a casual musical session.
Precision in Chaos: Composition and Instrumental Ferocity
Musically, Bergsvriden‘s “I haggans Afton” is a testament to meticulous composition. It is a structured fruit of artistic dedication. A dark ingenuity conducts the musical piece with chilling precision. Guitars tear through the soundscape. They swarm and slash with a wild energy. Drums provide a thunderous, percussive backbone. They unleash powerful blast beats. Vocals rasp like the dry wind whistling through skeletal, dead branches. Acoustic interludes provide moments of profound reflection.
Hymns such as Helvetesritten and the opener I jord och sten feature these spellbinding acoustic passages. They conjure vivid images of medieval life. They evoke the traditions of rural peasant communities. These moments are more than mere embellishments. They act as melodic anchors. They resonate with an ancient, haunting power.
Orchestral overlays and delicate keyboard chimes further enhance the atmosphere. Especially within the introduction, a devilish elegance prevails. Ominous string arrangements and eerie synthesiser tones shimmer. They glint like moonlight upon cursed objects.
Celebrants of the Rite: Guitar and Drum as Sonic Priests
Bergsvriden‘s I Haggans Afton functions as a complete ritual ensemble. Each instrument acts as a possessed celebrant within the unfolding procession. Trollmania’s Guitar and drum work, emerge as the primary instruments of these sonic rites. They unleash blistering tremolo riffs. They employ dissonant chord progressions. Occasional melodic leads emerge, painting twisted pictures of folklore. The guitar tone itself is raw. It is heavily mid-focused. It is saturated with a swampy resonance. Imagine the sound of early Gorgoroth meeting the spectral presence of forest-dwelling spirits.
Trollmania’s drumming, alternates between furious black metal blast beats and slower, more ceremonial stomps. These tribal thunderous rhythms exhibit remarkable dynamic shifts. Within individual hymns, the music frequently pivots from utter chaos to an unnerving calm. The drums expertly guide these profound transitions with unwavering precision.
Serpent Beneath the Mix: Vocals and Bass as Primal Pulse
Trollpung vocals are a chilling array of rasping snarls and strangled screams. His delivery is vicious, relentless, and deeply steeped in the primal dread of folklore. Öltomten’s bass guitar, though not ostentatious, provides an essential foundation. It coils and writhes beneath the mix. It acts like a serpent lurking in the gnarled roots of ancient trees. Furthermore, it supports the guitars with a grimy, visceral low-end. Its tone is murky and minimal. It is a presence felt more than distinctly heard. It reinforces the immense, oppressive weight of the ritual.
Ancestral Echoes: Folk Instruments and Ambient Veils
Furthermore, the listener will encounter a rich tapestry of folk instruments. Synthesised and orchestral elements are interwoven to add significant depth. Acoustic guitar is employed with deliberate restraint. Its power lies in its impact, often establishing core melodic themes or invoking ancient resonances. Other folk-inspired elements are both suggested and tactically employed throughout the album. The atmosphere hints at mandolin-like plucks and layered string arrangements—evocative textures that may be conjured through synthesisers, sampling, or hybrid instrumentation. These sonic flourishes lend a spectral folk resonance, weaving through the mix like ancestral echoes.
Keyboard chimes and ominous orchestral overlays shimmer like cursed moonlight, amplifying the ritual tension and deepening the sense of dread. These ambient layers serve as ceremonial veils—draping the heavier passages in a haunting luminescence.
But most notably, the flute (handle by Öltomten) and accordion (handle by Trollmania) are unmistakably present. The flute pierces through the mix with a mournful clarity, typically acting as a melodic counterspell to the surrounding chaos. Its timbre evokes windswept ruins and forgotten rites, adding a spectral elegance to the sonic landscape.
The accordion, meanwhile, breathes with a visceral pulse—its bellows expanding and contracting like lungs of the underworld. It injects a rustic, almost pagan vitality into the compositions, grounding the apocalyptic themes in folk tradition. Whether used briefly in interludes or woven into full passages, the accordion’s presence is both ceremonial and confrontational, echoing the ritualistic fervour of bands like Turisas and Finsterforst.
Together, these elements elevate the album beyond mere aggression—they summon a mythic atmosphere, where folk instrumentation becomes a conduit for memory, mourning, and melodic resistance.
Ninefold Rite: Nine Hymns Transformed into A incantation
In I Haggans Afton, Bergsvriden summon a ninefold rite, where each track unfurls like mist across ancestral moorland. “Jord och sten” opens with acoustic lament and cursed orchestration, grounding the listener in sorrow and soil. “Helvetesritten” charges forth in blast-beaten frenzy, the hag’s steed galloping through infernal terrain. “En ryslig haggas spel” twists the rite into folk horror theatrics, a possessed waltz of ember-strings and spectral shimmer. “I ottan de döda sjunga” mourns at dawn, where the dead sing through rasp and resonance. “Vår Bergakung och Troll” invokes mountain kings and trollish dread, while “En Best till Sjöss” drifts into aquatic terror, a beast surfacing from brackish depths. “Kråkans Domän” circles with carrion menace, feathers soaked in ritual decay. “De Skugglika” stalks the listener with shadow-born whispers, and “Ödemark och Dimma” closes the rite in fog and desolation—acoustic echoes fading into crone’s final breath. This isn’t a tracklist—it’s a ceremonial unfolding.
The Hag’s Spell: Folk Horror Cast in Blackened Flame
Bergsvriden‘s I hagans Afton is pure dread. It is a folk horror twisted into black metal rituals. Forget clean vocals; you’ll hear snarls, screams, and chilling melodies. The music sounds ancient, pulled straight from old tales and dark lore. It conjures a thick atmosphere of fear. Bergsvriden don’t play music; they cast spells. This is for those who wander the moors at night. It’s for those who hear voices in trees. It’s for anyone who knows the hag by name.
Closing Benediction: The Final Three Sins
As I Haggans Afton descends into its final, haunting passages, we extend our deepest gratitude to Cutting Edge Metal PR for granting us the honour of reviewing Bergsvriden and their album, I hagans Afton. Now, as the ritual nears completion, we turn to the final three sins—each a closing invocation—and prepare to seal this review in spectral wax.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish
Bergsvriden
Trollmania — Guitars, Vocals, Drums, Accordion
Öltomten — Bass, Flute, Backing Vocals
Trollpung — Vocals
Hear The Music
Reviewed by Kristian — editorial architect and ceremonial crafted. © Athenaeum of Sin Reviews.