Svrm – Скорбота [EP]

Artist: Svrm
Country: Ukraine
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital EP
Year: 2025

The prolific Ukrainian one-man Black Metal operation that is Svrm seems to prefer shorter releases over full-lengths. Although S. has delivered three full-length albums, ‘Скорбота’ is the band’s 11^th EP already. Rather, the global trend seems to be slowly moving in the opposite direction, with albums not infrequently clocking well past the hour. It won’t surprise you, but I plainly prefer a shorter playing time with the option of putting the whole thing on again. With not even 7 minutes on the clock, this 2-track EP, however, is really on the short side. Possibly intended for a 7” EP release, but now streaming at the band’s own channels.

Musically, Svrm did not stray away from the paths chosen on the past few EP’s – or the whole discography, for that matter. The dreamy riffs and melodies are again nicely aligned with the equally folky scope of the music. Like the previous recordings, the music conveys a certain feeling of long bygone days and the ever-captivating grandeur of nature. ‘Скорбота’, “Grief” in English, is another stunning exercise in emotional-laden, melancholic musical landscape that offers a reflection of both the soothing tranquillity of nature and the powerful harshness of the seasonal cycle and the weather elements.

Yet, while the music previously offered a well-balanced mix of both the more moody side and the forceful bursts, this new EP has those two sides of Svrm a bit more separated. Being that the first song is by far more dreamy and smoother than the second, which is faster and more fierce in nature. The latter fits more into the musical settings that we recently heard, so the moody and melancholic first track feels like a fitting interlude, not only for the stormy second part but definitely also to this EP’s title.