Swedish rockers Alfahanne make a bold statement that defines their music for the third album. Det Nya Svarte -the new black mixes classic rock, punk and elements of Scandinavian black and death metal to create what they define as “Alfapocalyptic Rock. "
The opening battle charge, Satans Verser sets the tone with its rumbling bass lines, discordant vocals and eerie guitar runs. With track titles like Death Machine (Dödsmaskin) Black Sheep (Svarta får) and Stigmata it's safe to say that this is an album that concerns itself with dark subjects, feelings of isolation, depression and pain. Despite the overtones of the album, the songs retain the melody of traditional rock and the power and anger of more brutal underground styles. It's certainly lighter in musical terms than their previous work.
In places, the guttural and venomous vocals owe a lot to Rammstein and they do a pretty good job of making Swedish sound sinisterly Germanic.
The album almost teeters on the tribal in the way that the sounds created rouse passion. In particular, the title tracks' mix of electronic groans, whispered chants, western style guitar licks and a rebellious rally cry of a chorus leaves us feeling part of their underground musical movement.
It's a bit too repetitive in places as if conflating so many generic elements left them unsure of which direction to go in, but the foundations are certainly there. They are well on their way to creating a new musical beast.
Groupie Rating 3/5
