Review SLÆGT ‘Goddess’

Copenhagen, the Danish capitol, is the homebase of Slægt. ‘Slægt’ means ‘lineage’/’heritage’ is Danish language and the heritage of the band so far are three full-length albums and two EPs. The latest countable work effort in the studio was released under the banner of ‘Black Bombs’, the title of an EP that was released before the pandemic hit planet earth.

With enough time available, Slægt started to work on nee material, songs that form the tracklist of the newest effort ‘Goddess’. To describe the style of Slægt isn’t an easy undertaking. There is more than just one main influence. Slægt certainly has a blackened sound that also connects to the roots of the band. Over time a lot of more traditional heavy metal found its way into the song of Slægt, and the new album showcases it well.

‘Goddess’ is a very mature album. The extra time in days without touring allowed the band to dig deeper into the creation of new material, not being too much under time-pressure.

In times of vinyl gaining momentum, the artwork of ‘Goddess’ is the first striking impression one gets. Created by Dávid Glomba, the cover of ‘Goddess’ has a lot that can be discovered while listening to the 40 minutes of stunning music.

In total six songs, that’s the tracklist of the album and it all starts with ‘Deceiving by an Amethyst’. Darkness rises after the first riff gives an idea of the musical direction the album is heading to. The raw vocals by Oskar J. Frederiksen and the melodic guitars harmonize well and generate a contrasty atmosphere. The sinister world meets an ease, a field of tension Slægt use superbly.

‘Goddess’, in general, stays in a moderate pace. It’s the exception though that confirms the rule. ‘Kiss from a Knife’ is an up-tempo track on the album, a song that relates very much to the black metallic days of the band. ‘Hunt Again’ carries the spirit of blackened rock’n’roll while it is up to the interlude ‘Stabat Bloody Stabat’ to introduce the massive title track. ‘Goddess’ clocks in at eleven minutes and is the epic closer of an exciting album. Melodic guitar leads start off the song, a masterpiece that allows the band to use their entire musical toolkit. Faster moments interact with a doom driven slower segment, both supporting the menacing basic mood of the song. Slægt decided to place the best song at the end of the tracklist, being the Grand finale of an album that knows how to excite metalheads.

‘Goddess’ became an excellent new album. It is a ripe longplayer with music that sounds authentic and evil. Slægt found a great way to shine by creating arcs of tension, covering the melodic aspect of metal without compromising on the evilness factor. Excellent album guys.