Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

True to black metal’s fiercely individual spirit, upon moving to Norway at the end of the 2000s, Roman V. started Bizarrekult as a lone wolf. Much like Roman’s previous two retreats into the studio, his upcoming third album emerged from a deeply personal crisis. Only on Alt Som Finnes, he’s not alone in confronting all there.  

“The mixture of black metal and post metal is not particularly new, but it’s difficult to pull off well”, Wormwood Chronicles writes in a review of Alt Som Finnes. “The more I listen to Bizarrekult, the more I think they have hit just about the right balance”.

“The album has a quality to it as if it was trying desperately to offer some hope, but with each turn, they sunk the dagger deeper into your heart”, Metal Temple writes in a 9/10 review.

Alt Som Finnes comes out tomorrow Friday, February 20 on Season of Mist Underground Activists, but you can hear all eight absorbing songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Black Metal Promotion YouTube channel.

“I was not ready for all this”, Roman says about Alt Som Finnes. “None of us are, when the time comes. But at the end of this journey, it seems to have all been worth it. The music gave me hints as to where to go and what can be”.  

Pre-order & Pre-save: https://orcd.co/bizarrekultaltsomfinnes

Alt Som Finnes maintains the classic energy of old school Norwegian black metal. “Verdens verste” rails against consumerism with blistering grooves. With its crazed riffs and blistering howls, there’s no escape from the feverish intensity of “Drøm”. But Bizarrekult’s new album strips away all of our defenses while adding more post-metal ambiance. “Avmakt” surges and seethes in a fight for control before losing power amidst melodies that fall then fade like dying pinpricks of light.  

No one will emerge unscathed from Alt Som Finnes. However, for the first time, Roman is joined in his struggle. The album features guest vocalists from Predatory Void, MØL and Dødheimsgard. Behind a steady pounding of double bass, lead single “Blikket Hennes” buzzes with the all-consuming darkness of a guilty conscience, only for Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez to enlighten us with soothing cleans. Despite being riddled with regrets, closer “Tomhet” breaks new ground as the first Bizarrekult song sung in English.

“Am I alone like this? No, we are many”. As the album storms through the finish line, Roman and Kim Song Sternkopf howl together into the void. It’s a damning realization, but also a call for us to become something greater.  

On Alt Som Finnes, Bizarrekult confronts all there is with devastating clarity.

Tracklist

1. Hun (02:58)
2. Blikket Hennes (06:18) [WATCH]
3. Avmakt (06:10) [LISTEN]
4. Håp (06:22)
5. Drøm (04:42) [WATCH]
6. Verdens Verste (04:22)
7. Aversjon (05:24)
8. Tomhet (06:27)
Full runtime: 42:45

Picture the ocean from inside the eye of a storm. Each rising wave presents its own unique threat, churned by the changing of the tides. But no matter how far you sink below the surface, all there is to see is one continuous expanse of water. This is the tortured yet piercingly clear headspace from which post-black metal curio Bizarrekult slowly and painstakingly emerged with its absorbing third album Alt Som Finnes.

“I was not ready for all of this”, says Bizarrekult’s sole mastermind Roman V. “None of us are, when the time comes. But at the end of this journey, it seems to have all been worth it. The music gave me hints as to where to go and what can be”.

In keeping with black metal’s fiercely individual spirit, Roman began his life as Bizarrekult as a lone wolf. The one-man project started in 2006 as a musical accompaniment to the poetic verses he’d written since childhood. However, it’s official recorded debut didn’t come until fifteen years later, after he moved from Siberia to Norway. Living closer to the genre’s birthplace inspired him to bend but not break with tradition. Bizarrekult can be as cold and raw as early Darkthrone, as eerily melodic as Enslaved, or as blistering in its beauty as Borknagar.

“Norway has become my second home”, Roman says upon reflection. “The years that led to the revitalization of Bizarrekult were spent reflecting on myself and reuniting with the things that are important – art and creativity”.

On Bizarrekult’s first album, Roman looked back on his childhood and family life while also examining his changing relationship with the world at large. Released in 2021, Vi Overlevde (We Survived) was perceived as a beacon of hope amidst the second trying year of the pandemic. Charting near the top of Sweden’s biggest newspaper’s year-end list attracted the attention of Season of Mist, who released 2023’s more expansive follow-up Den Tapte Krigen (The Lost War) to further critical acclaim.

“…as Bizarrekult matures, so does its songwriting” wrote Angry Metal Guy. “The result is an album that flows like a stream through a dark forest”.

Alt Som Finnes (All There Is) maintains the classic energy of the old school. “Drøm” seeks to escape into the comfort of dreams, chased by frantic riffs and hallucinatory screams. “It’s in our dreams that we can finally relax from everything that happens during the daytime”, Roman says. “You can grasp at who you actually are, the meaning of yourself”. While Bizarrekult remains rooted in Norwegian black metal, the album strips away all defenses while adding more post-metal ambience. “Verdens verste” rails against consumerism with blistering grooves, while “Avmakt” surges and seethes in a fight for control before losing power amidst melodies that fall then fade like dying pinpricks of light.

As with Bizarrekult’s two previous retreats into the studio, Alt Som Finnes emerged from a deeply personal crisis. Only this time, Roman is not alone in confronting all there is. He’s  joined in his struggle by guest vocalists from Predatory Void, MØL and Dødheimsgard. Behind a steady pounding of double bass, lead single “Blikket Hennes” buzzes with the all-consuming darkness of a guilty conscience, only for Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez to enlighten with soothing cleans.

“I wrote to Yusaf not about music, but life and its difficulties”, Roman says. “It became a connection”.

No one emerges unscathed from Alt Som Finnes. But while riddled with regrets, album closer “Tomhet” breaks new ground as the first Bizarrekult song sung in English. “Am I alone like this? No, we are many”. It’s a damning realization, but also a call for all of us to become something greater.

Line-up
Roman V. — Vocals
Ignat P. — Guitars & Bass
Alexander P. — Drums

Production Credits
Recorded at Seaside Room.
Produced, mixed & mastered by Miguel Tereso at Demigod Recordings, Portugal.

Guest Musicians
Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez (Dødheimsgard) — Vocals on “Blikket Hennes”
Lina (Predatory Void / Cross Bringer) — Vocals on “Drøm” (Recorded by Tim De Gieter)
Kim Song Sternkopf (Møl) — Vocals on “Tomhet”

Cover Art
Gravestench Art (https://www.instagram.com/gravestench_art/)

Photography
Radmila Volchenkova

Follow Bizarrekult
Bandcamp: https://bizarrekult.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bizarrekult/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bizarrekvlt/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Cj4Bc1WpdNZhGcKyQfWci/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/bizarrekult/1455860457
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/11699593