Whenever I hear bands like Arckanum playing this kind of lo-fi necro Black Metal, it always puts a twisted grin on my face, and with Sviga Lae, this Swedish act have turned that grin into a snarling rictus. Sitting somewhere between Kozeljnik and Vitsaus, this is one of those albums that lies firmly in the underground, waiting to be discovered, and while it won't be to everyone's taste, it is still a quality collection of blacked magic that fans of Horna, Black Candle, and even Bathory will enjoy. Things aren't always blistering here, which is a good thing. Most tracks plod along with slow double kicks and dark but melodic riffs, a lot of which fall into the Viking Metal category. Sure, there are hints of Burzum in there, as well as some early Darkthrone, but this is generally more sophisticated, and it brings more visual pictures to the fore. Production, as you may expect, is a rusty buzz, but when turned up to the right volume, it really packs a wallop, and even though it's not up there in terms of quality with some of the genre's bigger acts, it can go head to head with any of them, such is the quality of the riffs and melodies, all of which are sinister but memorable.

Short and sweet, Sviga Lae is a dirty but well-rendered effort, summoned from the very graves of the earth, and if you like your Black Metal evil yet savagely melodic, this is an album you shouldn't miss.