The pioneers of thall are back! Two years since the release of their mammoth album måsstaden under vatten, Vildhjarta has finally released a new song for the fans to get lost in and absolutely whomped by. + den spanska känslan + sees the band continue to refine their absolute chaos of a sound that feels like its years ahead of everyone else in the metal scene.
Their signature blend of haunting clean reverb-laden leads and unbelievably heavy everything-else continues to excel in this song. Laying out the carpet with a spooky delayed lead line before smacking the listener with heaviness that you literally cannot tell when will come in, it's one of the most impactful traits of their pioneering variant of thall. Blast beats and beastly screams alongside bendy riffs, it's instant thall.
The guitarwork in this one are strong. The riff that comes in right after the first verse ends is super tasteful, especially with the way they're using tremolo picking. There's also the super bendy riff in what I can only assume is the chorus, that is so expressive it almost feels like it's singing. There's also what Nik Nocturnal called the 'circus riff', which is apt I suppose, but I love how the bends move up and down, it feels hypnotic, almost as if it's some kind of forbidden magic they're using to concoct these kinds of melodies. There's also the clean guitar riff that leads up to the final section, there's something very pretty about the chords and I honestly love the way it sounds, especially with the djent layered over. But of course, there's also the känslan section, which apparently they teased over a year ago on their instagram. I love how the bends and the grooves are all so well thought out, and the blast beat at the end is a nice surprise.
Vildhjarta remains undefeated in the genre they created, but this track is a whole journey, man. Most songs off of måsstaden under vatten see them exploring just a small handful of ideas but + den spanska känslan + is a whole bag of them. Despite their affinity for chaos, this feels like their most refined track so far, one that really drives home just how strong they are as musicians. I can't even fathom how to go about making something as complex yet beautiful as this, but they've done it. Again.
Rating: 3.5/5