Review by Felix on October 14, 2024.

Next year “Bloodline” celebrates its 20th anniversary. That’s remarkable because the songs were already recorded and mixed in 1997 / 1998. But sometimes good things take time and “Bloodline” is definitely a good thing. One can say that it is just another Svartsyn album, but this is exactly the explanation for its strength. The usual approach of mastermind Ornias is filled to the brim with enjoyable aspects. Let me go deeper into the details for the poor ones who are not familiar with his project.

First of all – and one can consider this as an ambivalent fact – the single songs follow the same approach. If we ignore the short outro on the ninth position, there are no significant differences in speed or structure, in vehemence or atmosphere. It is possible that I already wrote it in a previous review for one of his albums, but Ornias always enjoys taking us on a long walk through the darkest Swedish forests, where the crowns of the closely spaced trees barely let a ray of light through. His guitar lines lead the songs and give them a direction, no doubt about it, but it is never an obvious route they take. They prefer to move slowly forward in a circular motion. Among other things, this means that you will not find any truly catchy sections here. But don't worry, there is a wonderful compensation for this (supposed) shortcoming. While “Bloodline” progresses unceasingly, it creates an almost fathomless depth.

Ornias’ vocals do not add new colors to the genre. His demonic nagging is fully aligned with the unwritten laws of black metal. Furthermore, the production is also a typical one for the genre (and for this project). Its pretty blurred sound is one more confusing building block which makes it a bit difficult to find orientation on “Bloodline”. The bass guitar has nothing to say, the drums have a tough time against the guitars and even the voice is not on a par with them. This may sound deficient, but it pays tribute to Ornias' world of sound and thought in the best possible way. Moreover, this production leaves no doubt about the quality of Svartsyn’s guitar lines – most of them are simply excellent and therefore “Bloodline” is among the best albums (or maybe even the best one) of the band. I guess it is okay to use the word “band”, because the booklet features two further guys, Kolgrim and Draugea, even though I guess their contribution was as meaningless as one of the two dudes who were shown as Quorthon’s (R.I.P.) sidekicks on “Blood Fire Death”.

Despite the blurred mix and the nested, pretty complex guitar lines, the songs do not lack dynamic. Already the opener and the immediately following title track can rely on this element. These songs aren’t better than the other ones, but this is precisely their strength: on the one hand, they leave a massive impact, on the other hand, they do not promise too much. The looping riffing of “Vampyric Sleep” is just as inspiring as his short part with atmospheric keyboards – and the following tracks also do not disappoint in any way due to their compactness, bitterness, and grimness. The only dubious tracks appear in the so-called bonus section. They are probably actually good, but a deaf guy or a Neanderthal man was responsible for the sound. Anyway, the regular album itself is highly recommendable. And I admit I am jealous of “Bloodline”. As mentioned at the beginning, its 20th birthday is yet to come, and I am older than the oldest metal album. Shit.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10