#52 Flork Reviews: Svor - Sleepwalking Through Life (2022)

 

Svor - Sleepwalking Through Life (2022)

Flork

 

Svor… I like the name, it has an interesting ring to it, and not just in Slovak but in English as well. And while I listen to the opening track Mizéria Každodenná (Everyday Misery), I contemplate the name of this project. In Slovak, svor refers to a complex type of rock element that has transformed through stress, pressure, and other factors from its original structure into something that no longer resembles its former self. Actually, it retains elements of its past, yet no longer identifies itself with its previous form. And so, this metamorphosis of sorts is perhaps a reflection on the theme throughout the album, which focuses on growing up in times of misery and its infinite cycle of pain. Whether I am accurate or not, I cannot say, it’s just as possible the name was chosen due to its cool sound.

 

And while listening to Mizéria Každodenná, a haunting track with classic DSBM howls that opens the album, listeners get a taste of the cycle of life and the painful memories one can never fully rid. There are no lyrics on this track, nor on any of the others for that matter, however, the titles of each composition provide you with enough of an idea of the theme that each of the tracks draw from. Take the second track, for instance, Dni nie tak minulé (Days not so long ago), again making reference to unpleasant moments, at least according to the beats of the bass and drums. This track is also very ambient with heavy doses of painful screams and wails. In fact, wails of desperation are heard all throughout the album as a replacement to growls and low, demonic vocals. Apparently, this is a signature of the genre, with several bands blending eerie cries and wails with spoken word or dialogue. The whole intention of such projects is that the music speaks for itself, without being classified as solely instrumental.

What’s interesting about the sound of Svor is that it’s predominantly the work of one man — EF. He does, however, incorporate the help of a couple of guests from other groups for guitar solos and vocals, yet most of the instruments were performed by EF himself. And many are very diverse, with ambient sounds from the piano and synth mixed in e.g., Ublížim ti. It’s all extremely depressing, without any light anywhere, like being in a never-ending tunnel during a blackout. You can’t help but being bummed out after listening to this album. But that’s exactly what the genre strives to achieve and Svor does it well. This couldn’t be expressed any better than in Nekonečne depresíva zima (Endlessly Depressing Winter), an epic 11-minute composition that forces me to drop several antidepressants and Xanax into my double espresso coffee. And while I listen to the final track Slabá chvíla (Moment of Weakness), I realise that there are tears in my eyes and contemplate checking into a psychiatric facility. Instead, however, I press play on the opening track and put the album on „repeat all“ mode.