Hailing from the Arctic regions of Sweden, Torbjörn Ömalm gave us his sixth and final album released under his own name titled Peiva. This is a reflection of a day in the life within the circumpolar regions, from the ethereal in-between stages of awake and sleeping, to the cold realities a day can bring you up there. It’s a unique album with plenty of creative improvisation that creates this magically primalistic atmosphere that is unmatched by others.
The album starts off very ominous, the dark feeling of twilight encapsulates the listener in its cold embrace as melodies shift in and out, transitioning into a variety of tracks, ranging rustic tribal dance music to harsher folk tracks that border the line of “raw black metal” more than anything. Torbjörn himself actually has described this album as something along the lines of “acoustic black metal” which I think fits.
The atmosphere that this album harbors is incredibly captivating and I’d say something very foreign for many people. I think this album captures that feeling of eternal night that the artic goes through. This strange space where things are meant to be awake and active, yet are completely shrouded in darkness and thrive while doing so. There is always an ominous feeling in such a setting. Not knowing if one will make it through the winter, let alone to see the sun again. That sense of anxiety is certainly portrayed expertly by this Sápmi bard.
This album is quite the experience and I think is something unlike any others. Somewhere between ritualistic black metal and tribalistic folk music with a primal edge. But fret not, as this may be the last album under his name, he’s still out there, speeding Sámpi mysticism under the guide of Ruohtta, :heiva:, Djuasa, Rävelden, and many more. Well worth giving a listen.