Masstaden Under Vatten (Jewl)

With a decade between releases, Vildhjarta remain as inscrutable and as close to anonymity as a band can be. Vildhjarta's down-tuned, staccato riffs and pulverizing grooves are the sound of music stripped to it's essence. Yet, the Swedish collective's long-awaited album, Måsstaden Under Vatten, is far more than a recitation of djent values. Clocking in at 80 minutes, it thematically picks up where the dark Swedish fable of 2011's Måsstaden left off and delivers on the promise that record hinted at. Tracks like the recently released "när de du älskar kommer tillbaka från de döda" ("When the Ones You Love Return From the Dead") find Vildhjarta's music on the move, suggesting a newfound subtlety and sophistication amidst the bombast and beauty in the breakdown. Since dropping a minute of new live music in 2016, the band's focus has almost entirely been on the new album with drummer and now noted producer, Buster Odeholm (also known for his work with Born of Osiris, Shadow of Intent and drumming with Humanity's Last Breath amongst others) heavily involved in the production, mixing and mastering of the music. Visual artist Rickard Westman, who did art for Vildhjarta's debut as well as their Thousands of Evils-EP in 2013 has also returned to the equation to reprise his disturbing visual iconography that continues to tell a tale of a mythical, dark world far away from ours. Gatefold vinyl 2LP.