REVIEW: Svarta Havet - Månen Ska Lysa Din Väg

Hailing from Finland, Svarta Havet was formed in 2018, and since then have taken on a mission to focus on antifascist, feminist, trans and queer politics. Having its roots in DIY punk and hardcore scene, the band blends together different styles in their songs, making unique sounds in the process. The band already demonstrated its talent in 2021, when its debut album JORD/VATTEN saw the daylight, and they promised to push their boundaries even further this time.

In their newest album Månen Ska Lysa Din Väg, translated to English as “The moon will light your way”, the band takes us on a journey with them through eight tracks, each of them having distinctive features and sounds. The members Lotta, Joakim, Anders and Jara worked closely together with the renowned producer Mikael Neves to produce a vibrant yet heavy album packed with their focal themes, earpiercing screams, and outstanding riffs.

As we can see throughout the entirety of the album, the band primarily focuses on the topics of Western colonialism, capital greed and the lack of sustainability, voicing their cry for a change. Walking us through different topic in each of the songs, the band starts the album with the track 'Göm Dig', which translates in English to 'Hide Yourself', and explores the urgency of reconnecting with nature and the impact of Western culture not only on humankind, but on our planet as well. Throughout heavy, tearful riffs and urgent screams, the band warns us of our impact on society and the world around us. Finishing off the track with piano gives the listener a real sense of sadness and pain here, as if the band are trying to help us feel what will happen without this reconnection.

On the other hand, the third track on the album 'Avgrunden', translated in English as 'Abyss', starts off slowly, only with a synth and a sad guitar riff, before the vocalist Lotta starts singing about her lack of hope for the future if we don't start to take care of the planet, its flora, fauna and inhabitants. The song is a heartbreaking cry to humanity for keeping up with sustainability, and to be mindful of every little thing they do, as everything has an impact on the environment. As the melody breaks into an explosion of urgent drums and guitars, we do get the chance to listen and sympathise and think about our own actions.

Two stand-out features on Månen ska lysa din väg are the songs 'Djur' and 'Under Staden'. While 'Djur', translated to 'Animal', is a weighty song about the cruel nature of some people, whose greed drives them to killing and torturing animals for fun, making them no more than beasts, the second song 'Under Staden', or in English, “Under The City', is a cry about animals and insects, who had to adapt to survive in urban spaces. Both songs are similar in melody and composition, as well as in their message, and altogether are a crucial element of the album.

Overall, the album dives deep into the struggles surfacing with companies, who are taking over the world, and it boasts many important messages that should be shared with the world. Even though many of the songs sound repetitive, and seem to jump from one topic to another without giving a bit of time to comprehend what is going on, it's still a solid piece of work that represents the bands values well.

Score: 6/10

Månen Ska Lysa Din Väg was released on May 9th via Prosthetic Records.

Words: Katerina Stepanikova

Photos: Svarta Havet