Band’s like Sweden’s Blessings instill a certain kind of emotion in me that I’m not sure I can accurately describe. The relatively young 3-piece blends so many different styles, all of which I like, that I find myself wondering why this hasn’t been done as well before. The emotion that rises from the perfect mixing of sounds, textures, styles, and influences, could simply be elation; maybe someone’s finally done it?
The band cites everything from Black Flag and Unsane to Darkthrone and Swans, which are quite apparent the more you listen to Bittervatten. The jutting 90’s post hardcore thrust of the opener “Bittervatten“ and its eventual noisy collapse gives but only a small hint at on coming dirges like “Seven Blessings” which is the most obvious nod to Swans here. “Worms of the Earth” is a d-beating punk frenzy which leads into the mid-pace stomp of “Strings of Red” and “The Shrine,” the latter having a nice dose of ABINS era Darkthrone to it.
The production is wonderfully raw and cacophonous. The vocals and cymbals stretch over the bass, drums, and guitars like a tumultuous sky ready to shit lightning bolts and sheets of rain that’ll clog the world, yet it’s all audible and each instrument’s given its time of day throughout the 28 min EP. Little bits of feedback or power electronics spring up here and there, giving a bit of bite to the band’s sound and keeping things moving.
Without a doubt, Blessings are doing something exceptional and I’ll need more as Bittervatten will only hold me for so long.
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