Grieved: Grieved

Swedish hardcore with a heart of darkness

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Stockholm’s Grieved are as Swedish as meatballs and flatpacks, the country’s uniquely dark and chilly brand of hardcore running through their self-titled new album like a remote, frost-fringed river close to freezing point.

And an emotionally raw experience it is too, frontman Marcus Lundqvist laying his soul bare as he howls his demons into the world, a despairing Turn Cold (‘Watch me fail, watch me resign from everything’) seeing him cast out into the forest and left to rot.

Sludgy, leaden opener Oraque charges in with a heaviness that states they mean business, bleeding seamlessly into brooding highlight Fogbound that’s as charged with atmosphere as it is emotional. The downside? It’s not exactly innovative, but if you’re a fan of tales of torment brought feverishly alive, there’s plenty here to enjoy.

But for a scene so proud of being on the fringes of society, blackened hardcore can play a little close to its own rules at times. Grieved is, however, beautifully crafted and suggests the best is yet to come from this band.

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.