Band: Lifelover
Title: Sjukdom
Label: Prophecy Productions
Distribution: Prophecy Productions
Release date: February 14th 2011
Review: CD

Lifelover are an unusual Stockholm, Sweden-based Black Metal formation with a few well-known members in its ranks, like Kim Carlsson aka () (indeed!), known from e.g. Life Is Pain (split up in mean time) or his solo-outfits Kyla or Hypothermia, as well as his session assistance to Svarti Loghin or Dimhymn, and Nattdal aka B of Dunkel / Dimhymn, IXXI or Ondskapt (ex)-fame.
After a self-released promo-demo-CD in 2005, the band initially nicely recorded a full length year after year: Pulver (2006, originally through Goatowarex, re-released in 2009 by Osmose Productions), the very strong Erotik (2007, also brought out in 2009 via Osmose), and Konkurs (2008, Avantgarde Records; re-issued by Prophecy Productions with the demo as bonus). In 2009, Osmose did release the mini-album Dekadens, and in 2010 Lifelover entered the Resignation Sounds studio for the registration (recording, mix and mastering) of their newest full length, Sjukdom, which is Swedish for sickness or disease.
Sjukdom gives an answer to the non-stoppable experimental search of Dekadens, exploring each corner and crossing each border to create the most bizarre form of oppressing Black Metal. Overall this album can be considered another collage of Suicidal Black Metal and progressive elements, yet of the most correctly used kind, flavouring the whole with a Post-Rock approach. The energetic and slightly mechanical sounding tracks (fourteen, with a total running time of almost one hour) are filled with weirdness of any kind: electronic passages and samples, piano, an enormous diversity in vocals, a roller coaster of emotions and atmospheres; it’s ugly in its most beautiful sense. Lifelover combine simple, almost mediocre / easy and basic song structures, with an amalgam of avant-garde penetrations. But it’s crazy stuff… The one time, my mind dwells to Nachtmystium, then again to Angst Sqvadron or Ulver, Craft, Alcest, Shining, Pyogenesis, and so on, and so on. All this gets unexpectedly interspersed with small details from Punk, Death Metal, Groove or Doom, and each single song is an experience.
Yet beware: this isn’t easy-listening stuff. In case you did know the band: consider it a logical successor of any former effort; in case you did not yet: this is Prophecy-material pur sang (this great German label has always been concentrating on an unconventional and atypical side of Metal with a huge amount on unique releases in meantime), yet of the highly aberrant kind.
Suggestion: listening before confiscating, yet worth trying.

75/100

Ivan Tibos.