Svalbard – “One Day This Will End” [Album Review]

There are two sides to the hardcore coin – the beatdown side and the emotional side – and when you get an album which falls effortlessly onto the emotional side of things, like the debut album from abrasive hardcore outfit Svalbard, you realise how special that side of the genre can be. A truly passionate record, One Day This Will End is a joy to listen to from start to finish.

Explosive from the start, One Day This Will End smashes into life with “Perspective”, a song which bubbles away before shifting up a gear and, from that point on, there is no looking back for this record. Bashed out with unbridled energy, Svalbard deliver their brash, ferocious hardcore with real passion, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into tracks like the scathing “Expect Equal Respect” where you’ll find yourself listening to a real demon-exorcising exercise from the Bristol outfit. It doesn’t stop there though, as the jarring “Unrequited” sees the guys explore a more restrained style without losing any of that emotional energy that pours out of them when they really unleash hell.

While a major chunk of Svalbard’s sound is built around abrasive hardcore, there are moments like the brilliant “The Vanishing Point” where they weave soothing, Deftones-esque post-rock melodies into the mix and show that, whether they’re thrashing out some throaty hardcore or exploring more experimental sounds, this album is simply sublime.

Track Listing:

01. Perspective
02. Disparity
03. The Vanishing Point
04. Expect Equal Respect
05. Unrequited
06. The Damage Done
07. Unnatural Light
08. Lily

Run Time: 33:52
Release Date: September 25, 2015

Check out the album ‘One Day This Will End’ here.