Written by Carcassbomb
Stortregn – Impermanence
Technical/Melo Black Death from Switzerland
Releases March 12, 2021
Via The Artisan Era
9/10
This year is starting strong for melodic death metal and Stortregn have brought us a cheese-free platter of the finest bone marrow with their new album Impermanence. Can The Artisan Era label do any wrong? I haven’t heard a single bad album from them in the last year or two and this is a fine release for their catalogue. Tuck into it!
The thing to hook me at first was the melody the guitars bring, they are sprawling and soaring, reaching out into the atmosphere to envelope anything they can. Some of these solos are straight lightening bolts piercing through mountains in its path. This is an album that tells a story with the flow of the licks and riffs, it’s very epic thanks to their blend of traditional heavy metal styles as well as black metal and melodeath. Due to the pacing of the music, it never feels soft, at its heart it’s very much a black death metal album, just with so much more flare than the average band.
The bass really sings as well, having its own solos that you could swear were actually guitar! I rarely hear the bass wielded like this and it’s a shame because it brings so much to metal when that bass gets to shine. The overall rhythm of the album is very stimulating. Even the clean guitars are fast paced jigs with great timing, it never gets boring even during the more fancy atmospheric parts. It’s always building towards something, or acting as a finesse bookend to a track, it never dawdles or keeps you waiting. Perfect for my hyperactivity!
On the cover they are sporting the artwork of metal legend Paolo Girardi, who is well known for the sheer scope of his art, often encompassing multiple landscapes and realities. This is sure to be one of the better album covers of the year and will kill it on vinyl. Stortregn have a lot of merch actually, from shirts to wall flags. Good shit!
It’s a well crafted album across the board, I can’t think of any criticisms, it’s just so entertaining. There’s some very interesting drumming, some solid fills and higher note percussion that stands out. Impermanence is just always building and building, it’s a maze of danger and excitement. The only real comparison that comes to mind is the band Firelink which will excite many of you, it’s that similar level of epic.
Pre-orders are available via The Artisan Era, Impermanence releases officially March 12, 2021 so write that down in your little diary. Oh you don’t have one? What, too good for self-reflection? You need therapy, and this album.
9/10
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