Artist: Bloodgargling
Country: Germany
Label: Astral Nightmare Productions / Rat Covenant
Formats: Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2026
Non-Scandinavian bands that do go for Scandinavian band names and titles don’t usually stand out for their originality. Black Metal bands from the northern parts of Europe have, of course, left an undeniable mark on the global Black Metal scene, but when, as with this Bloodgargling, a German band turns up with two albums full of nothing but Swedish titles, I can’t quite help but let out a sigh. Not least because the English band name then comes across as all the more clumsy. This flaw must then be made up for musically, but Bloodgargling only manages to do so to a limited extent.
In their own words, the Swedish setting was chosen to pay tribute to the many Swedish black metal bands of the 1990s. That in itself is a commendable idea, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Not only because ‘Bloodgargling’ isn’t a Swedish name, but above all, musically speaking, there is cause for criticism of this German duo. At first listen, it sounds quite good and is easy on the ear, but this changes in the second half of the album. There, the songs lack cohesion and impact; at times, they experiment with solos that are hardly impressive, but the main issue is that it becomes more of the same and the music blends into the background. The strongest tracks are definitely in the first half of the album, where one is indeed regularly reminded of various Swedish bands, from Marduk to Setherial. But a Norwegian band like Urgehal is also easily discernible in the more grinding passages. Bloodgargling does its best to inject some dynamism into the generally speed-oriented Black Metal by implementing slower passages, humming vocals, guitar solos and so on. All in all, valiant attempts, but unfortunately with mediocre results. ‘Mørk’ has turned out to be a disjointed album; whilst it does have its good moments and ideas, it doesn’t really make you want to listen to it again.
